Anna Braun
“And we are going to do this, together, for Princess. I’m not going to let some vet kill her when she could connect with the earth one last time. Look at all this nature. Princess is a living being, Austin. Just like the earth. You’re telling me you seriously don’t think she can feel this connection?” Princess shivered in Olivia’s arms. With her eyes closed, she held her tighter, too tight. For some time, Austin watched as his girlfriend squeezed Princess for the last time before setting her down on the dead leaves next to a large, lime-splotched rock. Before she got up, turned around, and started walking back through the trees, Olivia whispered something to her deaf dog. ******************** The warmth was gone. Princess felt the cold leaves and the cold dirt on her paws and belly. As usual, she saw darkness, but now she felt it as well. Something was not right, she would not be left untouched for that long. Someone was always there, comforting her, relieving her of the pain for a brief moment. Now, alone on the ground, Princess convinced herself that a moment was coming, one that would suddenly remove the suffering. For a minute, Austin watched Princess shiver against the damp ground under the forest shadows. He looked down, looked at the footprints that Olivia’s Uggs had made when she walked past him. Austin looked back at his girlfriend’s distant stride, and he looked at the rock. Austin looked at Princess, and Austin got mad. With his arms, his lower back, and his adrenaline, Austin relocated the rock. And with his mouth, Austin whispered, “You’re welcome, Princess.” ************************ She waited. She saw darkness, and suddenly, she saw nothing.
Abe Coburn 45
