“The Fable of the Filial Fugitive”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

This story is full of “f” words—yet both of my grandmothers would approve.

This humorous rendition of Jesus’ parable comes from “The Fable of the Forgiving Father” (author unknown). Dr. Jeff Miller of Milligan College adapted that piece for his Bible classes and shared it with me. I tweaked it further for a storytelling contest.

I hope you enjoy the alliteration in this version of Luke 15:11-32.

The Fable of the Filial Fugitive

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over his fraction of future farthings. He flew to foreign fields to flaunt and fritter his friendly father’s fortune in fabulous feasting and frequent fornication.

Finally, feeling financially fleeced and facing a fierce famine, he found a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famished, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments.

Frankly facing facts, the frazzled fugitive fretted feverishly. “Fooey! Father’s flunkies fare far fancier.”

Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father’s feet, he floundered forlornly. “Faithful father, I have failed fully and fruitlessly forfeited family favor.”

The faithful father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged a few fellows. 

“Fetch a fancy frock and fine fittings for fingers and feet. Furthermore, flay the fatted four-footer and fix a feast. Unfurl the flags with flaring. Let fun and frolic freely flow.”

The fugitive’s fraternal faultfinder frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former foolishness. His fury flashed. He flouted the festival and fumed while fabricating his father’s faults.

“A foal for a faithful foreman? Forbidden. But the fatling for a friend of fiendish females? Felony!”

Yet fussing was futile. The farsighted father figured, “Frequent filial fidelity is fine. But what forbids fervent festivity? Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortune. Former failure is forgotten. Folly—fully forsaken. For the fortunate fraternal fugitive is found.”

Farewell.

David