I don’t know why Claire is crying. It’s just an injection, right? I look up into her silver-rimmed eyes and wag my tail when she kisses my forehead. Everyone is being extra nice to me right now, since I’m getting lots of treats and pats. The strange man in the long white coat approaches me with the needle and I stop wagging. I feel a small pinch on my stomach and then nothing at all. That wasn’t so bad, right? I think for a moment. It didn’t hurt at all, I want to tell Claire. She keeps crying, though, harder than before. I want to lick away all of her tears and go back to the park, but I suddenly feel so tired. I lift my face to Claire’s and put my paw on her arm, but even that small amount of movement is exhausting.
“Good boy, Charlie,” Claire whispers to me. I close my eyes and feel her start to shake a little. I’m just taking a nap, I want to say. I start to slip into unconsciousness and open my eyes one last time to see a blurry Claire and strange doctor man leaning over me. I’ll see you when I wake up, right?
I close my eyes fully and let my tail rest and my mind quiet. The world seems so peaceful right now. And quiet. So very, very quiet. I find my usual thoughts of toys, walks, and food fading from my mind as I slip into a soft, dark place within myself. I can’t see anything, but it doesn’t bother me. I know that wherever I am, I feel safe and calm. It doesn’t hurt to breathe anymore, either. I feel relaxed for the first time in a very long while. If this is the quiet place I’ve heard so much about, it doesn’t scare me. I feel a warm presence beckoning me toward something and I start to float toward it. There’s a golden light shining up ahead, and I see a rainbow as well. I hold back, though, thinking of Claire and the park and my friends. But the warmth becomes slightly more intense, and I know it is time to move along. When I come back, I’ll have so much to tell Claire. But for now, I let the warmth fully embrace me like a bright summer day, and walk toward the rainbow bridge, the light shining as far as I can see.
“Good boy, Charlie,” Claire whispers to me. I close my eyes and feel her start to shake a little. I’m just taking a nap, I want to say. I start to slip into unconsciousness and open my eyes one last time to see a blurry Claire and strange doctor man leaning over me. I’ll see you when I wake up, right?
I close my eyes fully and let my tail rest and my mind quiet. The world seems so peaceful right now. And quiet. So very, very quiet. I find my usual thoughts of toys, walks, and food fading from my mind as I slip into a soft, dark place within myself. I can’t see anything, but it doesn’t bother me. I know that wherever I am, I feel safe and calm. It doesn’t hurt to breathe anymore, either. I feel relaxed for the first time in a very long while. If this is the quiet place I’ve heard so much about, it doesn’t scare me. I feel a warm presence beckoning me toward something and I start to float toward it. There’s a golden light shining up ahead, and I see a rainbow as well. I hold back, though, thinking of Claire and the park and my friends. But the warmth becomes slightly more intense, and I know it is time to move along. When I come back, I’ll have so much to tell Claire. But for now, I let the warmth fully embrace me like a bright summer day, and walk toward the rainbow bridge, the light shining as far as I can see.