The Burrow by Franz Kafka. Short summary

5 seconds

A small animal has been living in a burrow he has built for a long time. But then one day some incomprehensible sound appears, the origin of which the animal can’t figure out.

1 minute

The author’s unfinished story is written on behalf of a small animal that looks like a badger. The animal has built itself a comfortable burrow, where it now lives peacefully, hides from enemies, sleeps and makes supplies.

The animal is constantly improving and repairing its dwelling, creating more and more passages and sites. There are two areas that bother him: the area where supplies are stored and the entrance. The area for storing supplies doesn’t seem rational enough to the animal, and the entrance doesn’t seem safe enough to live in peace.

One day the animal wakes up and hears some sound like a barely audible hiss. The strange sound does not disappear over time, the animal cannot understand where it comes from. Attempts to understand the source of the sound lead nowhere, and the animal cannot get used to it. The animal becomes obsessed with the sound, it drives him crazy. He no longer sleeps and hardly eats. The story ends with the phrase, «But all has remained unchanged.»