My Only Joy

Lick. Lick. Crunch.
Rich shot up in bed, clutching his newly injured thumb. A sleepy yet knowing glare is sent to his right, where a small labrador puppy sat with a wagging tail at the side of his bed.

“Ow…” Rich whined, rubbing the injured digit. “Stop doing that.”
The pup rumbled out a yip and pawed at the mattress.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m getting up.” He smiled softly at the stray. It had been a week since he had found this dog marching happily along the road outside of his home. The ache of his body forced out a groan as he stood, matched only in length by the creak of the old bedframe.

He tried to roll his shoulders but he recoiled at a wince at his ribs, the flinch bringing his bitten hand to a rest at the dull pain beneath the bruise. He strolled through the apartment, feet landing carefully around discarded paper and plastics from ready-made meals and deliveries. The puppy blasted through the trash, leaping about with oblivious joy as they made their way to the food bowl.

“Quick as an arrow, aren’t you.” He muttered as he grabbed a bag of dog food. He leaned down carefully to ease the pain of the scattered bruises across his torso, reminders of past fights. He had hardly finished filling the dog bowl with kibble before the lab dove in, scattering pellets across the relatively clean floor of the kitchenette.

With the dog thoroughly distracted, Rich placed down the bag and shifted to the calendar hanging on the wall. His finger landed on Sunday, then dragged over to Monday where a bright red reminder was written.

MMA FIGHT 10PM, SUNSET BAR

He tapped the calendar with a sigh. The weekend was hardly enough time to recover from the defeat he suffered Friday night, but he’d have to make do. Even a loss brought in enough money to cover rent.

The silence behind him drew his attention, his eyes craning towards the now empty food bowl. The stray now sat patiently at the side of the door, leash held carefully in his teeth.

“Alright I’m coming… little glutton.” He mused, slipping on a pair of sandals and a simple jacket to cover his sleepwear. He grabbed his phone before proceeding to the door, attaching the puppy’s leash to his dirty collar.

The chilly autumn air hit them both as he opened the door to the city. The early glow of dawn illuminated enough of the ground for Rich to see through the hum of social media coming from his screen, but it was still dark enough to keep the birds asleep, and the neighbors in their waking stupor.

With a bark and a leap the puppy set off, already testing the limits of the leash as Rich followed along. His mind did its best to escape from what his week would be like. Next month would be tough if he couldn’t find a home for this stray. It would need vaccines, and he’d need to pay to have it neutered. For now, he just kept scrolling between posts. Maybe he could pull out a win on Monday and afford electricity again.

The dull rumble of a passing car alerted him to the road they were to cross. He finally separated his eyes from the screen to look at the puddle they now stood in front of, the small dog barking threateningly at the water. He picked the puppy up, holding him with one arm. At least the little guy was cute.

“You’re so needy...” Rich muttered, the puppy yawning his way into a nap as he was carried. A sigh escaped Rich as he marched through the puddle and into the road. He had to shower before work anyways, so he didn’t mind getting a little dirty beforehand.

His eyes returned to scrolling, deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of short videos and news articles that filled his timeline. He hardly even noticed his own movement as he passed over empty traffic lanes.

The ground beneath him slowly grew brighter, as if he were captured in a spotlight. A loud horn came roaring from his right, forcing Rich to drop his phone and stare up at the truck that was speeding towards him. There was no time to react, no time to run, no time to think.

Plummeted into entropy, he floated for a moment. Realization rocked his form, and panic set in. Nothing was familiar, nothing was physical. Yet it sped past all the same, as the sound and light of what he knew withered away all around him. The only constant, the only thing he could even focus on, was the glow around where he had remembered his hand to be.

What is that? My…? No… I thought…

The glow shifted closer, swimming through the nothingness to settle beneath his gaze. A warmth spread to his chest, and his panic calmed as he sank into acceptance. Whatever it was, at least he wasn’t alone. 

Is this… am I?... I had so much left…

Slowly, gently… he closed his eyes.