Doodle Monologue

After learning to teach Doodle how to walk, I felt the pride, the selfishness, start to lessen. The bond between me and Doodle was growing, we were becoming more like actual brothers. There was still some tension on my conscience though. I knew I was still in the wrong.

Doodle became fascinated with this bird in Old Woman’s Swamp. The bird looked exotic, as if it belonged to another environment. I did some research on the newfound animal and discovered that its name was the Scarlet Ibis, a species of birds that live in tropical areas. That’s when I realized a connection between Doodle and the Ibis. Just as the Scarlet Ibis was different from the dank, bland landscape of Old Woman’s Swamp, so was Doodle when he was born into the family. He didn’t

He was gaining the ability to fully walk on his own. “Maybe we can move on to running now.” “Don’t take it that far brother. I just learned how to walk,” Doodle said. We laughed and continued through the day. The months went by as Doodle and I went to Old Woman’s Swamp everyday in search for the Scarlet Ibis. One morning in January, bright and chilly, something felt off. The pride. The anger. I couldn’t feel its presence as Doodle and I raced to our everyday place. Was this the change I was looking for? “Are you okay Brother?” Doodle asked. “Yeah, I’m alright.” Truthfully, I wasn’t completely sure. We reached Old Woman’s Swamp and we found the brightly colored bird lying on the ground. Dead. At that very moment, I felt my heart drop. It was as if all the color had faded from the area and it was back to they way it was in the beginning. Throughout the day, Doodle had a sullen expression. I could feel his sorrow radiating off of him. We decided to make our way back to the house earlier than we usually do. On the trip through the cotton field, Doodle collapsed. “Doodle, speak to me!” There was no response. “Doodle! Please, say something! Anything!” Still no response. Doodle was gone. It was if the one thing I had compassion for the most was ripped from me and never to be