“The grass is gray on the other side”

  Chloe liked sitting down there on that greenish mossy rock under the old wooden bridge looking at the setting sun as it leans to the horizon with its final rays of warmth touching her face, she called it the Inbetween, because it was between all things, between the river and the sea, the village and the forest and between night and day it was where all things collide and become one in the same. She always wondered what was on the other side of the river besides all the green grass and trees, curiosity killed the cat, she was wondering what it would do to a dog and now she’s even more curious! She stretched and jumped off the mossy green rock and went home. It was almost time for dinner as she could feel her stomach growling, mother was looking lonely again because her offspring, the small humans were all grown up, too much that she had to let them go or the house will burst open and also there was constant yelling at each other, Chloe misses them very much and she knows mother misses them too, Chloe thought what would cheer her up, a big hole in the garden! Sure did cheer her up, Chloe then proceeded to the digging and just before she started, mother already cheered up and talked to her in a very lively voice.

 "What do you think you're doing?! Stop that!" Chloe scratched the back of her ear and ran off in content knowing that she did a good job.

            The next day she went back to the greenish mossy rock contemplating whether if it was a good idea to swim across the river, but the problem is she hates water, everyone does, even the cats and birds, she was sure under the water is something evil, even the smell is putrid to her and she smell other dog's WAIT! What was that? She heard barking from the other side of the river! There are dogs there! A whole pack of them! She called them but they didn't seem to care at all and continued to play on the green grass. She spun around the mossy rock and called some more and more after that, until the pack of dogs were finally gone from her sight and hearing. There must be a way across the river she saw humans cross on foot! It can't be that hard, she thought and went back home. Mother and now with the human father were both outside the porch sitting on their chairs talking to each other lazily and the sun went slowly down and eventually ceased to be on the sky, she sat between them and father pat her in the head, she loves that very much, and for that she will gift them another hole in the garden. They were both so happy that they simultaneously got up the chair and talked to her lively and happily she then ran off to see her friends Coco and Pearl, Coco was very big but very lazy he didn’t like to play much just lay around all day, Pearl on the other hand was nuclear powered dog, she could run around all day and still could run a mile more after that, they were polar opposites but still the best of friends, why can’t the humans be the same, Chloe has seen her share of Human fights between her siblings it wasn’t very physical but it seemed to hurt more than actual wounds and bruises, she can bite off Pearl’s ear off and they would still be friends in the morning but what’s weird about human fights is that they severe a very important connection between them with words, one that is almost impossible to mend. 

        Chloe woke up to the smell of fish and saw that it was the fisher people who passed by, it was her human sibling’s friends growing up, they seem to remember her, she went to greet them and they dropped the fishing stuff and buckets just to pet her and rub her belly like they always did as children, now they are a little bit more grown but not adults yet, adults never liked Chloe except for mother and father, they seem to hate everything they see, she hopes that they will not turn out like that, their faces were no longer round and childish, they were a bit sad and weather beaten, but she can see that there are still children behind their eyes a small light of happiness and joy, she was glad, she wondered if her two human siblings still had their children selves inside their eyes, she misses them very much. They all went to the boat, Chloe sat at the wharf waiting for them to depart and when they did she ran as fast as she could racing them to the greenish mossy rock under the old wooden bridge, then there they were just about to cross the Inbetween going to the sea to catch fish, she had lost the race and they waved at her goodbye. 

         There were new faces lurking near the house, she could smell and feel that they had bad intentions, she could smell it from them, anxiety and fear, she doesn’t like that very much specially on strangers, she then started to warn them by barking, there were three of them, all walking around all strange like and looking at the house, she barked at them until Coco and Pearl appeared and they were also agitated and barked, the strangers ran off. The next day at a different time the strangers went back lurking and snooping around, Chloe also warned her human parents, they went out to check but they don’t seem to see the lurking danger the way Chloe did so she kept barking and barking until they had to get the leash and tied her up, she felt sad and lay down in defeated, for a whole day she was leashed as a punishment, it was very unfair she thought, she was only trying to protect them, she wondered what life would be like as a member of the pack of wild dogs, running free on the endless field of grass, no humans fighting, no bad intentions and no more leash! 

        Intruders! The three strange people was in the back of the house she barked as hard as she could but her parents didn’t wake up, she fought and jumped and pulled away from the leash until her collar was loose and finally it broke off, she ran towards the intruders and bit the first one she found trying to get in through the window, they smashed her head with something hard but it only made her even more angry that she bit even harder, the intruder finally shouts in pain and the lights went on, her human parents woke up finally noticed all the commotion and called for help, her fishermen friends came with oars in their hands and cornered the other two while the one left behind kept hitting her head, she fell on the ground and everything went dark and silent. 

       Days passed and there were no more strange people lurking around all thanks to her, but something was off about her parents. They were mad at her for no good reason, didn’t care anymore if she made a hole in the garden, and even forgot to feed her! Her siblings went home as well after such a long time but they were sad and even cried when they got home, humans are so weird she thought, she had enough and went to her favorite place in the world the greenish mossy rock under the old wooden bridge, The Inbetween, she stared at the other side wondering what it would feel like, what it would smell like being beyond the Inbetween, she will comeback of course, when it's dinner time. Here goes nothing she thought and jumped right off the mossy rock, to her surprise she was inches above the rushing water, she couldn't even feel the water underneath her paws, she cautiously walked towards the other end until she made it to land, she was there and she could hardly believe it! The beyond! She ran across the field of grass and rolled around and played for the whole day but it was still strange, the day didn’t seem to end, she walked around some more and saw the pack of dogs running towards her direction, she wanted to hide in panic but it was too late, they were already there, they sniffed at her and welcomed her in their territory, one dog was familiar though, her very old friend Marley whom they thought was dead, they excitedly greet each other and played around, he still sounded like a dying chicken when he barked, she missed him very much, she can’t believe that he was just in the Beyond all these time, they even cried for him, silly Marley.

       They played for what seemed to be days but the day never ended, it was strange she thought but then again she is not complaining, but only thing that bothers her is that her human parents and siblings, she has to go back or they will be angry at her, even more angry she thought, she ran towards the Inbetween and Marley followed her, suddenly he blocked her way, what is the big deal?! They were all there blocking her way, she growled at them, but then she saw that her human parents were across the river, not only them but her siblings and fishermen friends, the sibling were crying but also she saw something that was lost for a long time between them, the severed connection, she could feel that they were now in good terms, now she really wants to jump across, but the pack of dogs with Marley stopped her from doing so.

       It all came back to her, the intruders and the wound on her head, after it went dark and silent, they were all there surrounding her, her human parents, the human siblings and their childhood friends, petting her and saying their farewells, she was glad, looking at them from the beyond, hoping that they will still keep that small part in them that once were children. Now that she crossed the Inbetween she understood that she could never go back again, that she could never feel their warm hands on her belly but she was content, she was at peace, the pack turned back to the fields of grass that she now realized was all gray.