I'm going to be honest with you all: I really really hate this one
Everyone was wearing black.
By everyone, I mean the eight of us that stood around the small, simple headstone. The day seemed too happy for a funeral. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and a light breeze blew my skirt about my legs.
I looked over at my mom, who gave me a nod and gestured to the small podium next to the headstone. It was my turn to speak.
My hands trembled as I stepped up in front of my family and friends. "Juno was a good dog." I began. "No matter how horrible I was feeling, he was always there to lick away my tears and snuggle with me for as long as I needed." I paused to take a shaky breath, holding back a waterfall of tears. "He was old, but he never let that stop him from acting like the biggest dork," We all laughed. The tears tried to force their way out. "He was taken too soon, but I know he's happier now."
One tear, then another. They cascaded down my cheeks and soaked the paper with my speech on it. "I couldn't have asked for a better husky than Juno, and I'll always miss the way he'd scare the crap out of me in the middle of the night by licking my hand and whining until I let him outside." I chuckled through my tears and placed Juno's collar at the base of the headstone.
"I'd give my soul to have you back, boy." I whispered.
I went home with no tears left to cry.
#
That night, I laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling, despair clutching my heart. Around midnight, I finally started to nod off, when the temperature dropped. It felt like winter, despite the fact that it was the middle of July. I shivered and pulled blankets onto my head.
A flash of light made me sit upright with a start, and it suddenly felt as if all of the cold around me seeped into my chest, while the room around me warmed once more. "What?" I whispered to myself. Everyone was dark and silent, exactly as it was before, but something felt off.
My chest hurt, cold clenching my lungs and spreading throughout my body.
My heart skipped a beat when something licked my hand, and a whimper from under the bed broke the silence.
