2 Death and Life

The Doggo of Death The Pupper of Passing

The old man sat up with a moan. Everything hurt and he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Rubbing his head and shivering from a sudden chill, he looked around and tried to understand where he was. The first thing he noticed was a slew of headstones. The next thing he noticed was a bell tolling in the distance... What the-?! Was he in the graveyard?! But how?! And why?! Well...

Although it would take a bit of time, the man would finally realize that he had died. He was 85 years old, it had been bound to happen soon. Now at last, his Day of Reckoning had come. He had woken up on top of his own grave, leaning against his headstone.

At first, the man was frightened. Even if he had known that his death would be soon, to actually wake up dead was something else entirely. He felt scared and lonely. He had no idea what to do or where to go or how or why. He had no one to help him along the way. He felt even more afraid than he had when he was still just a lad attending his first day of school. At least back then, he'd had teachers and older students to help him find his way. But now? Here? In the graveyard? There was only silence. He was all alone.

But the old man knew he could not remain there forever. Or perhaps, he could, but it didn't sound very fun, just sitting on a grave for all eternity. So he slowly rose to his feet. It was the first time he'd been able to get up without any sort of aid or support.

"Well! That's a pleasant surprise!" he mumbled to himself, that soreness finally gone. Even though he still felt old, he didn't feel feeble or frail. This boosted his confidence to some degree and he decided to take a walk around the graveyard to see if there might be any other wandering spirits here who could help explain to him what exactly was supposed to come next.

After a time, the old man caught sight of a big black dog sitting by one of the larger headstones in the graveyard. The moment he caught sight of the dog, the dog turned around as if it had sensed him staring. At first, the man felt a rush of fear surge through his heart. What if this dog was vicious? Would it attack him? Was it demonic, or real? It seemed to be able to see him, but who knew what kind of creature it actually was?

"Boof! Boof!" the dog barked, ears raising and tail beginning to wag frantically. Its large mouth opened as it began to pant, but the man could see even through the dark that it meant no harm. The dog was not growling or snarling or bearing its fangs. It just seemed genuinely happy to see him.

"Awwww! Come here, pretty doggy! Come here, boy!" the old man patted his knee, feeling a sudden rush of affection and warmth fill his cold, dead heart. The dog obeyed at once, barking again as it trotted happily over to the old man.

"Boof! Boof! Boofboofboof!" it barked, panting loudly and wagging its tail even faster as the man began to pet its soft, smooth, silky head.

"Now, what's a good old boy like you doing out here all by your lonesome?" the old man asked the dog kindly. As if understanding the question, the dog turned its head back to the large headstone.

"Oh, were you mourning someone?" the old man asked, a wave of sympathy washing over him. But the dog shook its head. The man blinked in surprise, but before he could ask if the dog truly understood him, the dog sauntered back over to the headstone and beckoned with its tail for the old man to follow. Well. It must've been some sort of spirit after all!

Admittedly, the man felt a bit nervous to be following a strange black dog through the graveyard, but he decided that the dog had been friendly enough so far, so he put his trust in the dog and followed it to the large headstone. Upon closer inspection, he realized that even though it was indeed a headstone, there was more to it than that.

The dog pressed its large paw onto a stone near the bottom of the headstone and the entire front of the giant rock suddenly opened up like a sliding door. The man gasped and peered inside. What he saw was just a starry void. He felt the dog nudge him gently towards it, but that was when the man put his foot down, literally.