Stories are not the same as communication.

Perhaps it is because of speech, writing, printing, telephone,
internet and all the expensive paraphernalia* of interaction
that human beings communicate less well than dogs -
perhaps less well than trees (though a bit better than logs)
- because our fear of communion and connection
is as great and as species-specific as our fear of the unknown.

*Paraphernalia originally meant the private goods of a bride
distinct from her dowry.