Comment from BeasPeas

Excellent

Oh, good write until the end. A butcher--no way. I'm vegetarian. What could be worse for a vegetarian. On the other hand, I guess it has significance in your story. He went from a place of wanting to commune with animals until he got to the point where he wants to kill them. A little irony there. Marilyn

 Comment Written 17-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 17-Sep-2016

Thanks, Marilyn. Yes, he put all that work into his book and finally realized that animals had nothing interesting to say. Guess he felt cheated. LOL!

I've known a few vegetarians. I could almost be one because I don't like meat, but I do like fish and shrimp.

reply by BeasPeas on 17-Sep-2016

Well I'm allergic to fish, so that's out. I don't want to eat anything that had to die for me to eat it. I even feel bad about the plants. Studies show they have fear, too. :(

Comment from Alex Rosel

Excellent

...And Pokey met his gaze with ears forward, as if listening to every word. - A great description, very indicative of dogs.

Mid-story, you threw the book review at me. I wasn't expecting that. It's neat crafting :-)

Ha, ha. The review brought a smile to my face.

I was a little disappointed by the butcher twist. But, overall, this is a highly original piece and provide an enjoyable read. :-)

 Comment Written 14-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 14-Sep-2016

Thank you so much for a thorough review, Alex. Always appreciate your input. I have to ask why you didn't care for the butcher ending. I was thinking Jack realized that the reviewer was right, that animals didn't think about anything interesting after all. So he no longer felt fond of them, and it didn't bother him to be a butcher.

If you have a better ending in mind, I'd certainly like to hear it. Thanks, again. :)

reply by Alex Rosel on 14-Sep-2016

Yes, I understood the intention with the butcher twist. Perhaps, since the entire piece came across as exceedingly original to me, I was expecting (hoping?) for a twist with a bit more impact. Perhaps I just read too much flash fiction.

BTW, if I could think of a better twist, I wouldn't be sharing it, I'd be using it myself ;-)

reply by the author on 14-Sep-2016

Thank you for saying it was original. I try to come up with new ideas, although it's verrrry difficult, as you know. And I don't blame you for keeping a better ending to yourself. LOL! :)

reply by Alex Rosel on 14-Sep-2016

:-)

Comment from P1

Excellent

where on earth did you pull this one from
really unusual entertaining and i enjoyed every
word of it. well done on this unique piece

 Comment Written 14-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 14-Sep-2016

Thanks, Lynda. It's hard to come up with something new--as you did with the story of the priest in love with the young girl. I would buy the book if you had it published... what a masterpiece. :)

Comment from Gloria ....

Excellent

Haaaaaa, this is hilarious and incredibly well written Phyllis. Believe it or not, I went through all the animals in the one star review to make sure they all had the same thoughts.

Beautiful thing is, a person likely could make a bit of cash from being a butcher.

Tremendously funny. Yeeeeeeeeees.

Gloria

 Comment Written 14-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 14-Sep-2016

Thanks, Gloria. True. It's a real art. And if you do it right, you can get loyal customers who won't buy their meat anywhere else. We have a pricey place like that here. Of course, the people who live here have so much money they have to be creative in finding ways t waste it. I buy hamburger. :)

Comment from zekeziemann

Excellent

Very interesting and cleverly written. The ending made me chuckle. Why would he end up being a butcher? My Dad loved animals too and he was a farmer. He could identify which black calves came from which black cows as they mingled in the pasture. But he also could distinguish between pets and products.

 Comment Written 14-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 14-Sep-2016

Thank you for reading. Wow, that would be hard to do, since black cows look pretty much alike as do their calves. He sure was good farmer. :)

Comment from robyn corum

Excellent

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Only it's almost not funny because it's so true! We all want to publish those great books that will enlighten the world on SOMETHING. I think you just told my whole life story! hahahahahahaha

 Comment Written 13-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 13-Sep-2016

Thanks, Robyn. Glad you got a kick out of it.:)

Comment from Judy Couch

Excellent

Funny. He must have really been mad at the animals to go back to school to become a butcher. I wonder how much of so called mental telepathy is just made up.

 Comment Written 13-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 13-Sep-2016

Thank you very much, Judy. I know mental telepathy works, but with animals? Probably not. :)

Comment from F. Wehr3

Excellent

This was loopy good fun. Phyllis, you're funny lady. I enjoyed this little story of Jack and all his animals. The book review made me laugh. Well done!

Take care,
Russell

 Comment Written 13-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 13-Sep-2016

Thanks for reading, Russell. Loopy is what I was going for. Glad you liked the silliness. :)

Comment from Ulla

Excellent

Hahahahaha, Phyllis this is just so funny. So he couldn't convince the world about his and the animals' ability to communicate. If you can't beat them join them springs to mind. Loved it. All the best. Ulla:)))

 Comment Written 13-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 13-Sep-2016

Thanks, Ulla. All in good fun. I know animals can feel/think more than that. I have three dogs. Anyone with cats or dogs or horses know animals are more complex than we give them credit for. Except chickens. Chickens are really REALLY stupid, even for animals. LOL!

reply by Ulla on 13-Sep-2016

I know, we have five cats and a dog, and I have had numerous horses. I've always loved animals.:)))

Comment from Brett Matthew West

Excellent

Well, if you can't beat them...join them. On the opposite end of the spectrum.

That is what this story seems to be saying.

Now, what if "Jack the Zoo Keeper" was right along?

Having in excess of 400 pages of animal thoughts would be rather monotonous indeed. So perhaps the reviewer made a very valid point after all.

 Comment Written 13-Sep-2016

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reply by the author on 13-Sep-2016

Thanks, Brett. He can still "work with" animals in his new careeer. :)