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The Story Finder

Voices in Fairy Tales

by Michelle Tocher

Story finder - Curly

Click the image above to fetch a new random story.

Youth Who Speaks with Wild Dogs

The lord of the castle permits me to stay overnight in the old tower, but he warns me that it is full of wild dogs. They bark without stopping, and will devour a man in the wee hours.

I have no fear of dogs because I know their language. I ask the lord of the castle to give me some food to bring to them.

In the morning I have much to tell the lord of the castle about why the dogs are barking. They are guarding a great treasure and will not rest until it is removed. The old man says that he will adopt me if I can bring him the treasure.

It is no hardship to go beneath the tower and release the chest of gold.

Now the dogs have stopped barking, and peace has returned to the countryside. I leave the castle, amused. It is pretty ironic that my own father tried to kill me for wasting his money on learning the language of dogs!

The Youth Who Speaks with Wild Dogs in The Three Languages, Grimms