Turkeys and Curs
By Elona Baron as told to Laurie Baron
SAN DIEGO−Once upon a time, there was group of Kurdish Kangals who wanted to control the areas where they resided. Since those enclaves were located inside other countries, their rulers perceived these dogs as a threat, mistreated them, and derogatorily called them Curs.
One of these countries was the land of the Turkeys. It once had reigned over a large empire. When their power declined, the Turkeys lashed out at the other animals under their dominion: Greek Kokonis, Armenian Gamprs, and Assyrian Aksaray Malaklısıs. The Curs had withstood succumbing to the same fate and retained some power to defend themselves.
Exploiting the divisions in the region, a group of angry cats sought to revive the Cataphate of the Prophet who hated dogs. They clawed their way to control swaths of territory and execute sinful dogs who did not share their beliefs. The Golden Deceiver from the strongest Canine nation bragged about how he had enlisted the Curs to liberate the Cataphate. Although he was not a fan of the Prophet, he worshiped profit and owned towers in the land of the Turkeys.
The Turkeys, however, were suspicious that the emboldened Curs would carve out a kingdom of their own as a Thanksgiving celebration for their victory over the Cataphate. The Turkeys planned to gobble up the Curs. Common wisdom assured the public that no thoughtful dog in his right mind would allow this to happen because the Curs had been loyal allies in the struggle against the Cataphate. But the Golden Deceiver was not in his right mind and heeded the wishes of the Turkeys to decimate the Curs. Besides he always had been partial to white breast meat. And so it came to pass that he approved of the Turkeys attacking the Curs. This is a dog eat dog world!
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Elona resides with Bonnie and Laurie Baron. The latter is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted via lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com. No animals were harmed in the writing of this column.