Oscar's Next Adventure

Author's Note: Written for Katy and Martin who were blessed with the love of Oscar...

Oscar wasn’t lying on the cold steel table any longer, yet he was. He looked down from high above, watching as the Vet talked to his Mummy and Daddy. Mummy was crying quietly while Daddy held her in his arms. Oscar wanted to give his Mummy a few licks to let her know he was okay. He tried to hop down from his perch high above the room, instead floating even farther away.

Looking left, Oscar saw a pin-prick of light. As he stared at the radiant speck, it grew larger, nearer, beckoning him closer. He growled and barked in an effort to scare away the luminous mass, still it swelled in size. Inside a shadowy form took shape, and a man appeared.

Not one to be shy, Oscar asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Saint Francis,” the man answered.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to take you home.”

“My home is with Mummy and Daddy,” Oscar retorted.

“No. Your home is in animal heaven with your dog friends. You were only on loan to your human family,” Saint Francis explained.

“I don’t want to go. I didn’t get to stay with my humans long enough. I love them and they miss me. See how sad they are?”

“Yes, they are sad. Sadness is a part of life for humans. You’re needed in heaven now.”

“Why?”

Saint Francis bent down, speaking softly he explained, “We need you to impart your wisdom to a group of puppies who arrived a few days ago. They need a teacher, and you have all the qualities humans like in a dog. Look into the light, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

A spaniel came bounding out of the light, coming to a halt in front of Oscar. Each dog inspected the other, circling, sniffing all the inappropriate places, becoming instant friends.

“Hello. My name is Oscar. What’s yours?”

“Mummy D calls me her One True Love, so I guess that’s my name.”

“Do you live in animal heaven?” Asked Oscar.

“Yes. I’ve lived there a long time now.”

“Don’t you miss your human?”

My One True Love smiled, “Sure I do, but I still visit Mummy D often. I’m always by her side when she walks. When she’s blue, I lick her hand. She thinks it’s just the wind tickling her fingers, but it’s really me. My favorite time to visit is while she is sleeping. I hop up on the bed and snuggle up next to her. I like to listen to her breathing, and send her happy dreams. Since she said goodbye to her human friend, she’s been looking at that computer thing a lot, so I curl up next to her feet.”

“Will I get to visit my humans?”

“Of course you will. We have lots of free time in heaven. And guess what? We get to have table scraps anytime we want them. We don’t even have to beg.”

Oscar thought heaven sounded like a fun place, “What else is there to do in heaven?”

“We get to chase loud cars without worrying about getting squashed on the road. There are cats to bark at, and rabbits to hunt. There is also a plentiful supply of wet food, not just that healthy hard stuff our humans feed us. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Oscar sat down to think. He could still visit his human family, chase cars, bark at cats, and eat his fill of junk food. Maybe heaven wasn’t such a bad place to be. “Okay. I’ll go,” Oscar said as he looked longingly toward his human family.

Oscar, My One True Love, and Saint Francis, turned toward the light. Before he stepped inside, Oscar hopped down next to his Mummy and Daddy. He jumped high, giving each a lick on the cheek. “I’m off on a new adventure. Thank you for taking such good care of me. I’ll miss you, but I think I’m going to love this heaven place. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Oscar whispered. “You may not be able to see me, but I’ll visit often. I promise.”
As Oscar stepped into the light, a chorus of human voices rang out, "Run free and happy, Oscar." He took one look back, wagged his tale, and barked his happy bark before trotting off to begin his heavenly adventure.

Story ID:	3554
Written by:	Betty (BJ) Roan (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Fiction
Location:	England UK
Year:	2007
Person:	Oscar