PREMISE # 3: the can of worms

Under the Dodo Tree

Steve lives with his wife Carole and two children Mary and Marty in the suburb of a small, idyllic town. Everything is perfect or nearly so. The only difference between our reality and theirs is that the only animal ever domesticated was the dodo. They have never known it to be another way. Steve is the not-so-proud owner of Darwin, a hapless dodo beloved by Mary, Marty, and Carole. Steve, however, despises the dodo and all of his kind. One day, Carole makes Steve take Darwin for a walk. On the way, however, one of Steve’s neighbors warns him of a troupe of dodos that have gone feral in the town’s park. Steve pays to attention and continues on his way.

In town, Steve tries on countless occasions to rid himself of Darwin to no avail. They go to the park and Steve finally manages to shoo Darwin away from him. Content, he falls asleep while reading the newspaper on a park bench. When he wakes up in the dark, he looks for Darwin so that his family won’t hate him. Instead, he is attacked by the feral dodos. Darwin saves Steve and so gains his love. The next day, Steve happily takes Darwin out for a walk, but discovers that the town is dark and abandoned, the ghost-town atmosphere punctuated only by the scuttle of dodo feet in the shadowy recesses. They quickly return home after realizing that all of the town’s dodo population has gone feral and discover that Steve’s family, along with the rest of the town, has been kidnapped! Darwin and Steve formulate a plan to infiltrate the feral dodo nest and free the townspeople. They sneak their way in past the giant clydesdodo guards and Darwin battles the head dodo. He emerges victorious after appearing to fly down from a ledge and land on him, much to the astonishment of the other dodos. Darwin becomes the alpha dodo and leads the others out into the park, allowing the townspeople to escape as well.

Soon, it becomes apparent that even though the feral dodos return to their owners, they never quite return to normal. They remain bedraggled and with red beady eyes, occasionally lapsing into barbarism only to look up at their masters with pleading eyes upon punishment. The townspeople decide that they will let the dodos die out, as their domestic lineage is irrecoverable. Darwin lives out his days as the last dodo beloved by all and after a tearful death, is stuffed and placed in a museum so that his heroism remains immortal.