The Dog's Journey

A dog was walking down a country path. He met a lot of dangers on the road, and though he survived so far he knew there are much worse dangers out there in the world. Thus far into his journey, he came upon a fork in the road. Both paths still go forward, they just diverge quite a bit. On one side the road was what the road had always been. It's not easy, not hard, not safe, not dangerous, not plain, but not terribly exciting either.

On the other, was a gap on the ground, like a cliff down to nowhere. Across was an island, like a piece of land were chopped off the main road and stuck there like a detour. Thin mist floated lazily between the cliff's edge and the cutoff island. On the island, the dog saw something he had never seen before in his short life.

It was a spectre, standing silently, not mourning nor cheering. It was a siren, singing a brave song one moment and a tragedy the next. It was a ball of energy, seemingly unchained but at the same time looked as if it was chained with an invisible shackle to nothing but the mist. It was alive. It was like the dog and nothing like the dog. It was mysterious. To the dog's eyes it was warm, though the dog's paws went cold. It wasn't bright, it wasn't dim. It floated there like a butterfly under the moonlight. And for an instant the dog thought he mistook the butterfly for a hawk. His fur bristled behind his neck at the thought, but his eyes couldn't get away. Everything about the place calls out danger.

But I want it

The gap was big, and the mist was hiding something. The dog couldn't see what was behind the mysterious being, but if the chain was real then it was definitely something big. A giant wall of mist stood before the dog, and the gap laid open under it. What little scars the dog had had taught the dog that he had never challenged anything this big before. His heart beat faster. His fear grew bigger. The shadows grew longer. His paws got colder. His breath got quicker. His body shook harder.

But. I. Want. It

The dog faced the biggest wall he had ever thought of jumping in his entire existence. The cold steely gaze of reality stared back at him without mercy. The mist still stood. The gap still laid in wait. The mysterious being still fluttered about, courage and sorrow embodied, scars and beauty personified. The dog stood on a decisive moment in his life.

To be continued...