“Hey fam, just Larkinator checking in from Spencerville. Traded my blue bird for Fetch! toys, tacos minus the lettuce, and no scary vacuums here! Pretty swish. Missing y’all like crazy, but I’m okay. Keep an eye on the brightest star until we reunite. Woof!”

Listen to the story here

After hours of basking under the cool of the night from my porch, I saw Larkin, my familiar companion, stir from the shared warmth of her beloved blue bird. It was a scene that I was so accustomed to, so dear to me. The evening exerted an unspoken calm, something that blended perfectly with Larkin’s demeanor.

Yet, tonight felt different. An almost surreal, inexplicable current ran through the air, even as it remained placid. Grains of sand in the hourglass of time seemed to linger right on the edge of falling.

As Larkin stretched, shaking off her brindle and white coat, she looked back at me with an intense scrutiny in her wise eyes. Her usual calm was tinged with a hint of enigmatic melancholy. I could sense deja vu, although it was hardly a night for rationality.

An ethereal shimmer descended upon Larkin, bathing her in an other-worldly glow. The acclaimed resident of Spencerville, she didn’t flinch, rather raised her head to the sky, as if acknowledging something far beyond human understanding.

It dawned upon me then… Larkin, with her calm and quiet courage, had embarked upon a journey I couldn’t join, couldn’t follow. A voyage to a better place, to the mystic Spencerville where she would continue to exist as herself, free of worldly traces.

Rumors whispered about Spencerville. A place beyond our understanding –’dog heaven’ some dubbed it – where pets could live in bliss, living human-like lives, looked after and cherished. A wait, it was said, for a reunion with their heartbroken owners.

Days turned into weeks, I found solace in the legends of Spencerville. Larkin’s spirit embarked on a journey to Black Bulldog Bay. I could see her relishing Pup ‘n’ Go’s exquisite tacos and making waves with her hefty build at Spotted Red Beagle Beach.

Her evenings would be spent over at Fetch! Toys and Treats, as she found a new cherished toy to replace her old blue bird. I had faith, despite the heartache, that Larkin was enjoying herself at The Dapper Dog Salon, glammed up and cared for, wagging her tail with that effulgent spark.

In Spencerville, she would find no vacuum cleaners that would make her recoil, and no lettuce to ruin her appetite. Nothing but pure joy and care awaited her; a place of eternal slumberful ecstasy where pets awaited their reunion.

Only time remained until our reunion, and I clung onto it. For love knows no bounds, whether the lover has fur or not. As I sat on that porch again, with the faint whiff of dog fur in the air and a star twinkling brighter, I knew it was Larkin’s way of reassuring me: “Human, I’m fine. Until we meet again!”

The End.