The Dog and the River Mirror

A golden dog received a bread roll from the baker after helping watch the shop. He carried it proudly toward home, choosing the quiet path beside the stream.

The path crossed a narrow wooden footbridge. Its boards were strong and dry. The dog stepped onto them carefully, still holding his warm roll between his teeth.

Halfway across, he looked into the clear water. Another golden dog seemed to be looking back, with another bread roll held in exactly the same place in its mouth.

The dog tilted his head. The stranger tilted too. A small ripple made the other roll seem larger, and the dog wondered whether he could have both breakfasts.

He leaned forward and opened his mouth to bark at the stranger. His own bread roll slipped free before any sound came. It dropped through the gap beside the bridge.

Splash! The falling roll broke the reflection into bright moving pieces. Now there was no second dog, and no second breakfast. His own roll floated away with the current.

The dog stayed on the safe bridge instead of jumping into the stream. He watched the roll drift beyond reach. He felt disappointed and wished he had stopped to think.

When the water grew still, his face appeared again below him. He wagged his tail, and the reflection wagged too. This time he noticed how closely every movement matched.

The dog understood that the river had been a mirror. He walked home more slowly, thinking about the good breakfast he had lost while reaching for an imaginary one.

That evening, he ate his usual supper beside the door. When a puddle showed him another bowl, he simply wagged hello. He knew which dinner was really his.