Kino's Fate

Kino had been sold to the statesman at a very early age. He briefly remembered his mother, but never met his father. In those days, that was a common way to grow up for someone like Kino. He had been a gift to the statesman’s children, and as such, had been assigned the task of protecting them. While the statesman seemed to despise him, the children loved him, and Kino felt the same. If it were possible, he would gladly raise them as his own.

Today, however, Kino feared that he had made a grave mistake. The statesman’s most prized possession, a jade-colored talisman, was lost. The children would, on occasion, use the talisman in their games– the statesman was not opposed to this– but Kino was always sure to return it to its rightful place. 

‘Surely the children had been using it outside again,’ thought Kino. ‘But it is not in any of the usual places. The master of the house will forgive his children, but he will not forgive me.’

He decided to search a second time, now more frantic than before, and ever increasingly so. It was not by the old oak, where the young master had climbed too high for Kino’s liking. It was not in the statesman’s garden, where the young mistress would pick berries for them to eat. It was not by the riverbank, where they loved to splash in the summertime. It was not by the gate, where the master daily greeted his children, and through which Kino would likely be leaving by day’s end.

It was nowhere.

As the sun began to set, the children came out to play. How Kino would miss their innocent faces, their giggles and squeals! He cherished the evening that would probably be his last with them. 

“Papa!”

The statesman entered the gate. A wave of shame spread over Kino’s face as the children ran to leap into their father’s arms. He carried them into the house as Kino trudged to his own quarters. It was only a matter of time. 

The next morning, Kino awoke, or rather, decided to stop trying to sleep. He could hear noises inside the house– surely his time had come. Kino’s heart froze when he heard the statesman’s voice, then turned to stone when he saw his face, and then–

He had the talisman! It wasn’t lost!

“Kino! Come here, ya dumb dog! Get your frisbee!”

Kino bolted from his house and jumped all over the congressman, tongue flopping and eyes dumbstruck with glee.

“I bet you wouldn’t be so happy if you knew what the vet was doing to you today!”