Synopsis by William Disbro, created from:
In The Ever After (pp 129-137), by Allan B. Chinen
A childless couple loved their dog and one day the barking at a particular spot of ground got the old man to dig - and he uncovered a sack of gold coins. The greedy neighbor borrowed the dog so it could find gold for him. The dog was unsuccessful and the neighbor killed it. The dog's owner carved a mortar and pestle from the tree that stood over the dog's grave. The mortar produced delicious food for the elder couple and the neighbor borrowed it to produce food for him but it only produced foul wastes so he burned it. The owner arrived to claim his mortar/pestle but could only return home with it's ashes. But he learned that when those ashes touched barren branches the branches bloomed - even in winter. He demonstrated grand results for the Sultan and the next day the evil neighbor tried to show what he could do with his ashes. Nothing happened except to cover the Sultan and his court with ashes. The neighbor spent the remainder of his life in prison..
Dr. Chinen writes of the symbolism in the theme of reclaiming the magic and wonder of childhood. At the end of life one returns to the beginning with experiences being transfigured and illuminated. (p. 132) The dog, gold coins, greedy neighbor, mortar, ashes and blossoms are all symbols for the human cycle of oral, anal, phallic and genital stages that reverse in old age.
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