For Suzi

FYI- the following is not a funny post. In fact, it made my big, strong dad cry at work, so be forewarned. It was written a few years ago to help my young child deal with the death of our dog. The painting at the end was done by an artist inspired by the story.

Once upon a time, there was a magical black dog who was smarter and faster and sassier than any dog that ever lived. "You're so smart, I bet if you wanted to, you could talk," said her best friend.

"Yup," barked the magical black dog as she sprinted out the door to chase some squirrels.

One day she notice a bluebird sitting on the ground. "Aha!," thought the magical black dog as she sneaked up on the bird, "Now's my chance." At the last moment, the bluebird flitted away to a tree branch. "Someday I will fly up there and get you," grumped the magical black dog.

"Later, later," replied the bluebird as he flew away.

A few days later, as the magical black dog was clearing the yard of squirrels yet again, the bird flew down for a chat. "Hey," said the bluebird, "how would you like to chase clouds instead of squirrels?"

"Yes, yes," responded the magical black dog.

"Of course, you couldn't live here anymore. You would have to move to the sky, where the clouds live. But since you're magical, that would be easy for you."

The magical black dog was sad, "I could never leave my best friend. I must always protect her from squirrels and sad thoughts."

"Later, later," the bluebird chirped.

Then very early one day, as the magical black dog wearily chased another annoying squirrel from the yard, the bluebird returned. "Please help me," he said. "My friend the Sun needs someone to chase the stars from the sky before he rises every morning. The stars are lazy and won't get out of his way. He says if you want to, every once in a while you can chase the clouds away, too."

"I am tired of these bothersome squirrels," said the magical black dog, "But who will take care of my best friend? I can't leave her, ever, ever, ever."

The bluebird replied, "You can come visit her in her dreams, and chase away sad thoughts, and lick her tears away. You will always live with her in her heart, and with thoughts of you in her soul, she will never be lonely again."

And the skies cleared, and the stars disappeared, for the magical black dog had chased them all away.