The Jealous Neighbour

Once upon a time, there was an old couple in a small village.

They had no children, but they had a beloved and devoted dog
named Max.
“Maaax.” (Husband)
“Sit down.” (Husband)
“Give paw!” (Husband)
“Good boy! Good boy! Here you go!” (Husband)
Max loved them, too.
One day, while the old man was busy with his garden, he saw
Max, excitedly digging in the dirt.
“Woof! Woof! Woof! Woofff!”
This made the old man very curious, so he started digging in
the same spot with his shovel. The old man’s wife heard Max’s
excited barking and came out to see what was going on. It
didn’t take long before the old man’s shovel hit something
hard.
“I think you found something, honey!” (Wife)
What the old man found was an old chest. Curiously, he opened
the chest and saw that thousands of gold coins were shining
brightly in it.
“Ahh! This must be a dream!” (Husband)
“We’re rich! I can’t believe it!” (Wife)
“All thanks to this smart dog!” (Husband)
“Come here, Max!” (Husband)
“Well done, boy!” (Husband)
However, the old couple did not realise that the young man
who was their next door neighbour saw everything that had
happened.
“Hmm…a smart dog that finds a treasure!” (Neighbour)
“Let’s see if you can find a chest full of gold for me
too!” (Neighbour)
“Hahahah” (Neighbour)
At night, the envious neighbour sneaked in through the old
couple’s window.
Hhoop (The sound of the window is being opened)
They are sleeping. (Whispering)
The old couple was in a deep sleep.
The neighbour used dog treats to get Max to follow him.
“Gotcha!” (Neighbour)
And he took Max out of his house in the middle of the night and
kidnapped him!
The next day, when the old couple woke up, they could not see
Max at home.
“Maaaaax!” (Wife)
“Come here boy!” (Husband)
“Oh my baby, where are you?!” (Wife)
As the old couple went out into the garden to look for Max, the
envious neighbour saw the agitated couple.
“Hi neighbour…is your dog missing?” (Neighbour)
“Yes, neighbour. We looked everywhere but we can’t
find Max! Did you see him?” (Husband)
“Yee, ye, yees…he was running towards the city in the
morning after a cat!” (Neighbour)
The old couple went to the city to look for their dog. But the
envious neighbour had hidden the dog in his own house, once
the old couple was gone he took the dog to his own garden.
“(Ha ha ha…right this was to my garden.” (Neighbour)
Holding tight to the chain so that the dog could not escape.
“Come on, clever dog! Dig until you find a treasure!
Otherwise, you will never see your owners again!”
(Neighbour)
Max started sniffing sadly. After a while, he stopped and started
barking persistently.
“Woof woof woof woof!”
“Haha right here? Okey!” (Neighbour)
The neighbour thought the dog must have found something, so
he started digging right away. And sure enough, he also found a
huge treasure chest!
“Hahahaha!” (Neighbour)
“Here’s a chest bigger than my neighbours!” (Neighbour)
“Good job! Clever dog!” (Neighbour)
The neighbour took the chain off and left the dog back in the
old couple’s garden. When the old couple returned home sadly
their dear dog Max barked to greet them.
“Woof woof! Woof woof!”
“Max? Ohh! Here you are!!! We’re so worried about you
Max…” (Husband)
In the evening of the same day, the envious neighbour came to
the old couple’s house with great greed.
“I’m so glad you found your dog. I’m sure you must
have been very tired looking for him. How about I take
the dog for a walk today. So you can rest.” (Neighbour)
“How thoughtful of you, neighbour! Max is very
affectionate and friendly friend. Of course, you can go
with him for a stroll” (Wife)
The envious neighbour called Max. Max took a few steps
forward and started talking!
“This man is bad! I will never go anywhere with him!”
(MAX)
Seeing the dog talking like a human, the envious neighbour was
stunned.
“Wha ha What?! How can your dog talk?” (Neighbour)
The old couple did not hear Max’ voice.
“Hahahaha” (Wife and Husband)
“Woof woof woof!”
But only heard his barking. So they thought the neighbour must
have been teasing.
“If by talking you mean barking, then yes he spoke. But
all dogs bark. Why are you surprised by this?” (Wife)
“But he didn’t bark. He spoke like a human. I swear to
you!” (Neighbour)
“Hmm…Maybe it’s you that needs some rest, my
neighbour. Come by later when you’re rested and you
can walk Max.” (Neighbour)
The envious neighbour returned home in daze.
As soon as he woke up the next day, he went to the old
couple’s house again.
“I came to apologise for yesterday. I’m better today.
Where is Max?” (Neighbour)
“I’m glad you’re recovering, neighbour. Maaax, come on
boy!” (Husband)
Max came running and when he saw the neighbour who was
cruel to him, he spoke again!
“Woof woof woof!”
“That envious, bad neighbour. What are you doing here
again?!” (MAX)
The neighbour could not hide his surprise. He broke out in a
cold sweat!
“What?! No, he spoke again! Your dog has spoken like a
human again! (Neighbour)
“Woof woof”
However, the old couple heard Max just barking normally.
“Woof woof”
“Ah, my neighbour, you might want to see a doctor.”
(Husband)
“Ah…you two are in on this! Witchcraft! Wizardry! And
your magic dog is making me look crazy! I know it!”
(Neighbour)
“Max is just a regular dog. My husband and I are not
wizards or witches!” (Wife)
“I know your magic dog found a chest full of gold in your
garden!” (Neighbour)
“Ha! But, that was just luck, neighbour.” (Husband)
“Hahaha! I know, it was not just luck. I will prove it and
aand I’ll do it in front of the village elder! So the whole
village will see that you are wizards and you will be
banished from here.” (Neighbour)
As the envious neighbour was leaving the house, the old couple
thought he was crazy.
After a while, the envious neighbour came back to the old
couple’s house with the village elder and a few people with
him.
“Here are the wizards in our village! See! And this is the
magic dog!” (Neighbour)
“Dear elder, I think our neighbour is not well. He is
talking like he is out of his mind!” (Husband)
“Sir, this couple has lived in our village a very long time.
They are good-hearted. If you have proof that they are
wizards…show it! Otherwise, don’t waste our time.”
(ELDER)
The envious neighbour beckoned Max to provide evidence to
the elder.
“Tell me something now, magic dog! Tell me something”
(Neighbour)
“Well, let me tell you! You are an envious evil
neighbour.” (MAX)
“Woof woof”
“HAHAHA! See? Here’s proof for you! A dog that talks
like a human!” (Neighbour)
The elder and the villagers looked at each other in
astonishment.
“What are you talking about, neighbour?!” (ELDER)
“I am talking about the dog! He spoke…He just spoke
like us. Didn’t you hear him?!” (Neighbour)
“No, I don’t think so. Sounds just like any other dog, he
just barked.” (ELDER)
“But how can that beeeee?!!!! What about you guys?
Didn’t you hear him speak? (Neighbour)
Villagers also said that the dog just barked.
“He’s a magic dog that finds treasure chests. You must
believe me!” (Neighbour)
“Dogs smell good and can find many things in the soil,
mister.” (ELDER)
“Yes, it was just a coincidence that he found a treasure
chest for us. We were digging in the garden. See over
there.” (Husband)
“Oh no, it wasn’t a coincidence! (Neighbour)
So, the envious neighbour told everyone how he had kidnapped
the dog, had him dig his own garden and the dog also found a
treasure chest for him.
“What?! Did you kidnap Max?” (Wife)
The envious neighbour opened the treasure chest that the dog
had found in front of everyone. And he saw that it was filled
with sand instead of gold.
“Aah! How could it be!!! This is impossible!” (Neighbour)
“This is nothing but theft and slander! You are no longer
our neighbour! Leave our village immediately!” (ELDER)
The envious neighbour bowed his head and left the village in
shame.
“I know you are good people. Don’t worry, our village
will be a safer place now. Especially for your dog, Max!”
(ELDER)
“Thank you, dear elder…” (Husband & Wife)
After all that had happened, Max made everyone love him with
joy and excitement.
“Ahaha! How sweet are you! You little dog! Good for
you!” (Wife)
From that day on, the old couple lived in a peaceful life with
their dear dog, Max.
“Woof woof”
“I love you so much my dear family” (MAX)
“Woof woof”
“What? Did you say something, my wife?” (Husband)
“No…I thought you said something too.” (Wife)
“Hmmm Hahahah Ha Haha Ha” (Husband & Wife)
THE END
The Envious Neighbour story in English is an old Japanese short
story. The short story strongly emphasises the value of having a
pure heart and generosity. It admirably urges one to stay away from
greed by telling the tale of two neighbours with very different
philosophies who, after doing the same deeds, received drastically
different consequences.
Earth provides for everybody's wants but not for everyone's greed.
This proverb shows how the wicked elderly couple in this tale had
insatiable greed. The evil old couple always ruined anything that the
good old couple had earned.
The Story of the Envious Neighbour
Before starting the story, let us look at the envious neighbour
characters. An honest man and his wife used to live in a village,
and they had a pet dog that fed on fish and leftovers from their
kitchen. The elderly couple took their dog out one day to play as
they worked in their garden. The dog stopped and started wagging
his tail ferociously while barking, "Bow, Bow!

Moral Value
As with every kid's story, there is an inherent moral lesson to the
story. The story strongly emphasises the message that greed is a
curse. The story helps us understand that anyone who greeds for
more is in distress. The lesson between the old couple and the dog
can be interpreted in various ways.