I knew when I first met my angel that she would outlive me. Their lifespans are ten times as long as ours, their youth lasting forever. The stories of their appearance had been lost to history, and no one could say why they were here. All that could be said was that if you get one to like you, you could stay in their house forever. That was the rumors on the street when I was young. I never thought an angel would love me, or that I would love an angel.
I was only a little kid when she brought me to her home, safe and warm. My mother had abandoned me on the street, left me for dead. My angel nursed me back to health. I could see that she was unsure about keeping me in her home, but I promised her I would earn my keep. Anything she needed, I would do.
I started by making her exercise. She tried to get out of it, but I would keep bothering her until she went on a run with me. I loved being outdoors, the wind on my face and all the amazing smells everywhere. At that time, I was young and she was young by angel standards, so we both had boundless energy. We could run like the wind, me always making her go faster.
As I got older and stronger, I started earning my keep in another way. I became her security. Nothing could enter the apartment without me noticing. Sometimes I would shout false alarms though, but she would just laugh at me, call me silly and a worrywart.
I remember when I first really noticed that I loved her. My angel was crying. I had ‘uncles’ that lived at my angel’s grandparents house that had died. It made sense that she would cry at their passing. I held her that night. She sobbed into my neck and made me promise not to leave her. I knew it was a fool’s promise because she would always outlive me, but I made it anyways.
My role soon expanded to taste tester. She would make something and give it to me. And I would tell her if I liked it or not. Most of the time, the answer was yes, but some of her ideas were not that great. I loved testing her food because she was a good cook. She always made some for me too.
I wanted to live with her forever, but that would never be possible. My angel and I have been through so much together, but I always knew it would have to end at some point. I noticed my aching joints first. Our runs were more painful than helpful, but I did it for her. My hair started turning grey next. My energy ran down and soon it became hard to eat. Then the day came when I couldn’t stand up on my own. My angel started to panic. She grabbed me and rushed me to the doctor, demanding to know what was wrong with me. But I knew, and the doctor confirmed it, I was dying.
My angel started crying. She fell to her knees next to the table and started screaming at the doctor that there must be a way to save me. The doctor only shook her head and gently lowered me to the ground.
The doctor left us then, my angel holding my head on her lap. I put my arm on hers and talked to her. I told her that I wasn’t afraid to die. I told her how much I loved her and how thankful I was that she took me in all those years ago. All she did was cry and hold me. I had promised to protect her, but I could never protect her from this. We had both known it was going to happen, but neither of us were prepared.
The doctor came back in carrying a needle. She asked if my angel was ready, and through her tears, she said yes. I felt the needle slide into my arm as I reached up and kissed my angel one last time.
Peace flooded through me, and my pain melted away. I fell asleep to the sound of my angel’s voice repeating: “You’re such a good boy.”
“You’re such a good dog.”
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