1 a Goodbye
This story begins on a dark December night, one of the months where the dark hours of the day greedily swallow the light and the night seemingly stretches to unimaginable lengths.
As it is a tradition of life, an old life will get consumed, making place for a new one.
Starring in this somber beginning are an old dog and a wise man relinquishing in the little time death gave them in it's pity, but death isn't merciful nor patient.
It will take what is rightfully it's and it won't wait long.
Satisfied with the time he is given, the man abandones his last regrets and spends his last moments with his trusted dog, reflecting on life.
A starless sky, a blanket stretching over the world, drenching it in darkness.
The only source of light a flickering oil lamp.
Dancing silhouettes on a wooden floor.
A man sitting in his lawnchair, clutching his brown coat slightly shivering.
In his left hand a mug with a translucent brown greenish fluid inside.
His right hand caressing an old dog sitting in his lap.
One could tell the age of the dog, while he looked well groomed, the edges of his fur were already turning grey and the remaining brown lost its glow.
His eyes, staring affectionately at his owner, have lost the shine they held in his youth, but the beauty this creature held in its younger years didn't diminish, beeing replaced by a wise and discerning look only gained by age.
Lightly growling, the dog looked at his human companion, instinctively feeling that something is wrong with him.
„I think our time to say goodbye is nearing Luis, I wish we could spend more time together, but let us cherish these last moments in peace my friend. These last few years have been the best of my life, sometimes I look back and can't help but lament at the fact I didn't left any life of my own in this world, but the time for regrets has passed and I hope to embrace what is about to come."
Luis seemingly understood what his owner was saying and agreed with it wholeheartedly, living the first years of his life as a stray he too cherished the company of his benefactor and friend. Getting mistreated by malevolent humans frequently he was scared and wary of these two legged animals at first, Gabriel slowly earned his trusts and healed his wounds.
The dog snuggled closer to Gabriel, hoping to capture the warmth of his body and find solace in it, as long as it still lasted.
Slowly caressing the dog, the human opened his mouth and resumed his speech, solely meant for Luis and himself.
„The older we get the more we think about death, nonetheless we are never fully prepared for it, now that I feel it's clutches I'm unwilling to depart from life and leave you behind. No matter how calm I may talk it scares me, it scares me a lot Luis. The thought of perishing and not leaving anything of my own behind scares me."
„Now I understand the need of all these people to etch their mark into history, never to be forgotten. They may have left this world behind, but will never truly fade, the memories of countless people holding them partially in the living realm."
„As I lie here, my frail body merely a repository of decades of accumulated memories and regrets, I reflect on the tapestry of life I have woven. Time, has finally caught up with me and now I stand on the threshold of eternity, uncertain of how I will move forward."
Taking a sip from the hot tea in his left hand, Gabriel exhales a shakily.
His breath forming a white cloud, in the blink of an eye, it vanished into the cold night.
Gazing at the night sky, desperate eyes search for atleast one star in the firmament above, finding nothing they lower their gaze back to the ground.
Staring at the wooden boards on his porch, he takes in the state the of the floor. Rotten planks and moss and the occasional plant growing from beneath them and managing to pierce between the gaps.
Silence, occasional sounds of the wildlife echoing, the only continuous sound the lawnchair, creaking while rocketing forth and back, back and forth in a hypnotizing rhythm and the uneven breathing of the lonely man and dog.
A sudden urge of inspiration struck the man and he muttered a little poem that came to his mind.
„Neath quiet night's celestial sea,
Man and dog find unity.
Beneath the starsless sky, they share their quiet,
A bond that's deep, forever pliant.
Yet as the night wears on, he knows,
That time, like a river, onward flows.
Death's shadow, slowly, nears his sight,
But with the dog, he's unafraid of the night."
Gabriel looks one last time into the wet eyes of his dog,
„don't cry Luis, my time has come and it's unavoidable, don't mourn over my death and waste your last years, live happily please, that's my last wish for you."
The dog looks at his companion and a lonely bead of water makes it way down it's snout, whining it snuggles deeper into the embrace of Gabriel.
Mustering the last surge of power his aching body provided him, Gabriel held Luis even tighter, his heart suddenly beating as fast as in his youth again, his old eyes clearing and his nose smelling the fur of his dog better than in atleast ten years, his body seemed to also bide it's owner farewell, providing it with strength as it's last gifts.
The mug Gabriel was holding so carefully, not willing to spill anything, fell out of his grasp, the trusty hand which never failed him not responding to his command. The liquid the mug was holding spilled everywhere after it shattered on the wooden floor.
Some of the hot liquid even reached the dog, but no matter how hot it was, Luis was unwilling to part with his friends embrace.
Seeing this Gabriels lips tugged upwards and he tried caressing his dog, but his body failed him and his hand didn't move. Eyes flickering like the Oil lamp inside their home he took one last look around, greedily taking in anything he could of the world around him and then, his eyes closed for the last time, welcoming the dark reach of death, which received him warmly.
The dog watched how his owners body gradually lost it's warmth and Gabriel's body crashed onto the floor, coincidentally on the splittered pieces of the broken mug.
Luis took his owners coat and covering his body in it, the dog stared at the moon, howling with power not befitting his age.
The painful scream began in his stomach and exited his mouth, filled with agony and the joyful memories he made with Gabriel.
The dog who started his life alone on the street, only to find company in Gabriel was again alone.
Crawling under the coat and snuggeling to Gabriel's cold body, he tried to find his friend, sadly without succes.
Luis was utterly and completely alone again.
