Once upon a time, in a land where cats ruled and dogs had no rights, there lived a cat called Spaghetta. Spaghetta was one of the Five Great Rulers of Pastaland. The land's rules were that the cats were mightier than the dogs. Spaghetta was well known for being the cruellest cat in the kingdom and enjoyed torturing dogs. He even boasted about the fact that he had never even spoken to one before and assumed that they were unnecessary.
The wizards who had created the world looked down upon him, and soon they had had enough of him. After coming to the conclusion that Spaghetta needed to be taught some form of a lesson for his atrocious behaviour, they decided to transform him into a dog. With a flick of their wrists, one of the most powerful cats in the kingdom was reduced to a dog.
Spaghetta woke the next morning to find his fur had lost its density, and his ears were flopping. Confused with his transformation, he snuck out of his home to save himself from the shame, and soon found himself lost amongst the streets of Pastaland. Further and further he ventured, until he reached the dogs' undercity. After realising where he was, he soon came to the conclusion that in order to return home, he had to talk to a dog and kindly ask for directions. So, he found himself a disguise and gathered every drop of determination he possessed and entered the closest shop.
The person at the cashier seemed nice enough, thought Spaghetta, before grudgingly making his way to the counter. To his surprise, the labrador asked him:
"How can I help you? "Stunned by this gesture of generosity, Spaghetta mumbled:
"I believe I'm lost. I'd… "he paused, swallowed and continued: "I'd appreciate it if you told me the directions to the castle." Peering over the rim of his glasses, the labrador replied:
"Ah. I suppose you're not from around here. There is a train station four minutes away. You'll have to cross the bridge over there and take the first exit afterwards. All the trains should take you there from the station, so long as they go as far as Parmesan Square. That's the stop you'll need to get out at."
Grateful for his kindness, Spaghetta thanked him and burst out of the shop with a warm feeling in his stomach, however this was soon replaced with guilt for how he had treated dogs in the past. The entire train ride home Spaghetta spent considering his past actions. As soon as he had arrived, he leapt into bed, hoping to clear his foggy mind.
The next morning, he woke up in his cat form once again. Overjoyed and fresh with ideas on how to improve his kingdom's society, he beamed at every dog he saw on his way to work that day.
However, the rulers were outraged by his sudden change in views and refused to listen to his protests, thinking that poor Spaghetta had gone mad. But then, Spaghetta had an idea. He'd show them what he had seen. They would never believe him otherwise, he realised. So, he proposed his idea to his fellow rulers. Although they were shocked, they decided to visit the dogs' undercity. Besides, they thought, they had been meaning to visit it sometime and see what there was.
Having seen the generosity and kindness the dogs showed each other, even though they themselves did not have much, the rulers decided after many meetings to treat the dogs in their kingdom better, not as slaves or unworthy creatures, but as citizens and free people.
So, after many days, he convinced the rulers to change the kingdom's unjust system and treat the dogs better. Never again did he tease or snigger at another dog. Never again was a dog tortured or blamed for just being themselves.
The End.