Post by Silvanus Snarl on Sept 12, 2004 0:03:04 GMT -5
Chapter One
Darkness engulfed the large collie, lost in a world devoid of image and sound. He'd been like this for several months now, deaf and blind, crippled by age. He knew where he was. His nose still functioned as keenly as ever. He was at the veterinary clinic and he seemed to very well know exactly what he was there for.
He felt his leash being passed into a stranger's hands, no doubt those of a vet tech. Submissive and obedient, the old collie followed. He groaned inwardly as he was lifted onto what he knew was the examining table. His instincts told him this was not a yearly check up or vaccination appointment.
He whined softly with the pain of arthritis as strange hands coaxed him to lie down, stretching him out on his side. He did not fight. Trained in obedience, he knew he was at the mercy of whatever humans intended to do with him.
He felt a needle enter the vein in his right front paw, but he did not yelp or flinch away. He knew what was about to occur. This was it. The simple injection that would end his life. His humans had abandoned him here on his deathbed, too cowardly and selfish to brave the hard time and comfort him as he was to exit this life. Despite the presence of the vet and the assistant, he knew he would die alone.
With the injection came overwhelming sleepiness. He stretched out fully and laid his head down on the cold steel table with a heavy sigh of surrender, succumbing to the quiet oncoming of death. It came. Peacefully and quietly, it swept him away to another time and another place.
He awoke to find himself resting on a street paved with gold. He seemed a bit taken aback as he realized he could actually see the street. He could hear sounds. His body was made whole. He sat up and looked around as a pink whippet approached him.
"Welcome to Heaven!" she exclaimed in a tone that was so sickly sweet, it almost nauseated him, "Your name?"
"Silvanus," he answered coldly, his expression contorted into an irritated snarl, "Silvanus Snarl."
The whippet alighted on his massive shoulders and pulled the corners of his mouth upward, trying to shape a smile of sorts.
"We'll soon turn Silvanus Snarl into Silvanus Smile!" she giggled.
"Not likely," Silvanus growled, shaking her off.
The whippet settled in front of him and tilted her head, studying his stern features. With a frown and a sigh of resignation, she announced that she had the perfect eternal job for him.
"You have the face and stature of a stern, difficult to please teacher," she told him, "The files say you were a show dog trained in obedience, so I'm assigning you to train guardian angels for the rest of eternity. Study the books. They'll tell you all you need to know."
Silvanus blinked at the stack of books she tossed in front of him. He had a feeling this was the beginning of a long eternity.
Darkness engulfed the large collie, lost in a world devoid of image and sound. He'd been like this for several months now, deaf and blind, crippled by age. He knew where he was. His nose still functioned as keenly as ever. He was at the veterinary clinic and he seemed to very well know exactly what he was there for.
He felt his leash being passed into a stranger's hands, no doubt those of a vet tech. Submissive and obedient, the old collie followed. He groaned inwardly as he was lifted onto what he knew was the examining table. His instincts told him this was not a yearly check up or vaccination appointment.
He whined softly with the pain of arthritis as strange hands coaxed him to lie down, stretching him out on his side. He did not fight. Trained in obedience, he knew he was at the mercy of whatever humans intended to do with him.
He felt a needle enter the vein in his right front paw, but he did not yelp or flinch away. He knew what was about to occur. This was it. The simple injection that would end his life. His humans had abandoned him here on his deathbed, too cowardly and selfish to brave the hard time and comfort him as he was to exit this life. Despite the presence of the vet and the assistant, he knew he would die alone.
With the injection came overwhelming sleepiness. He stretched out fully and laid his head down on the cold steel table with a heavy sigh of surrender, succumbing to the quiet oncoming of death. It came. Peacefully and quietly, it swept him away to another time and another place.
He awoke to find himself resting on a street paved with gold. He seemed a bit taken aback as he realized he could actually see the street. He could hear sounds. His body was made whole. He sat up and looked around as a pink whippet approached him.
"Welcome to Heaven!" she exclaimed in a tone that was so sickly sweet, it almost nauseated him, "Your name?"
"Silvanus," he answered coldly, his expression contorted into an irritated snarl, "Silvanus Snarl."
The whippet alighted on his massive shoulders and pulled the corners of his mouth upward, trying to shape a smile of sorts.
"We'll soon turn Silvanus Snarl into Silvanus Smile!" she giggled.
"Not likely," Silvanus growled, shaking her off.
The whippet settled in front of him and tilted her head, studying his stern features. With a frown and a sigh of resignation, she announced that she had the perfect eternal job for him.
"You have the face and stature of a stern, difficult to please teacher," she told him, "The files say you were a show dog trained in obedience, so I'm assigning you to train guardian angels for the rest of eternity. Study the books. They'll tell you all you need to know."
Silvanus blinked at the stack of books she tossed in front of him. He had a feeling this was the beginning of a long eternity.
