A gray pick-up truck lumbered down the empty road. The truck was old, with both paint and rust covering its exterior. In the twilight hours of dusk, you could see only one headlight actually worked. Inside sat a tall, lean young man, eyes focused on the road ahead of him, occasionally having to brush his brown hair out of his eyes.
Ruthie remained silent for a while, while you look to your right at the large fields passing by. Some are filled with cattle, some with crops, while many more are simply empty.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” The man suddenly speaks, drawing your attention. “I’ve always liked this part of town, out here in the countryside. There’s a strange, well, beauty to it. Whenever I drive around here, I like to let my mind wander a bit, you know, think about things. Life, my friends, my family, all of that. But you don’t care about that. Right now, you’re probably wondering why you’re here, right?”
After a moment, you nod.
He smirks. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Well, simply put, I want to talk. To tell you a few things. About, well, I’ll get to that eventually.”
As he speaks, the fields of yellow slowly begin to turn into neighborhoods as you drive through a more urbanized part of town. It’s not exactly a suburb, it still has a very natural look and feel to it, but it’s close enough.
“Death is something I’ve never really thought about.”
You turn to look at him, confusion on your face.
“Sure, I know it exists, I’m not an idiot, but it’s never been something I’ve really wondered about. Just how permanent of an ending it is. Once you die, that’s it. It’s over, done. Sure, many people believe that there’s something after, depending on what religion you follow, if you follow one, but no one knows with absolute certainty what happens after. And honestly, it scares me a bit.”
Gently pressing on the brake, Ruthie clicked the lever just past his steering wheel to activate his turn signal, despite the fact that there was literally no one in sight. After slowing down enough, he turned down a worn-down road, various potholes littering the sun-beaten asphalt.
“Maybe it scares you too, I don’t know. It should. Anyone who says death doesn’t scare them is either lying or an idiot, because the concept of death is terrifying.” Sighing, Ruthie shook his head. “Or maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. I’m not some philosopher or something.”
A few moments later, the both of you arrive at a house. It doesn’t look all that special. It has a simple black-tiled roof with a yellow paint-job on its wooden exterior. The front door is white, with a big window in the center.
Pulling into the driveway, Ruthie quickly puts the truck in park and turns off the engine. Slipping the keys into his pocket, he swiftly exits the vehicle, prompting you to do the same. Walking across his rather small front yard, he withdraws the keys from his pocket and unlocks the front door, turning the knob and opening it. Stepping inside, he glances back at you and waves for you to follow, which you do.
The inside isn’t much to look at. There’s a few couches around, with a wooden T.V stand against a nearby wall, on which a 45 inch T.V sat. You follow behind Ruthie as he walks past the front room and into his dining room, which was openly connected with the kitchen. He walks over to his fridge, pulling out a two-liter of A & W root beer. Opening the cap, he takes a drink straight from the jug. Setting the bottle down, he looks at you.
“You want anything?”
You shake your head.
He shrugs. “Eh, your loss.” Taking another drink, he capped the bottle and put it back in the fridge. Sighing, he closed the door to the fridge before walking over to the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. “Do you mind if I tell you a story?” He asks, glancing at you.
After a moment of consideration, you shake your head.
He smiles, though there is little joy in the expression. “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, he turns to look outside again. “This story takes place 16 years ago, at a little house in a far away town, and two people.”
* * * * *
Early May, 2003.
Knock, knock, knock.
A woman, around 60 years of age, answers the door. Outside stands two people. One is a young man, around thirty, with short black hair and a pair of glasses on his face. The other was a young woman, around the same age, carrying a small child in her arms. The baby, who was to be a year old in only two months, barely stirred, content to sleep in his mother's arms.
“Hello. Are you here to see them?”
“Yeah.” The man answered in a deep but gentle voice. The old lady looked behind the trio and looked back at the man in confusion.
“Where are the rest of your children?”
“Left them with a babysitter, since they didn’t want to come. Only little {Name Redacted} came with.” The woman answered. The old lady grinned and gestured for them to come inside.
“Ah I see. Well, I think it’s best they aren’t here. The little ones don’t like a lot of noise, after all.”
Nodding at her, the man stepped inside, the woman following suit. Once inside, the old lady walked over to what was once her garage, opening the door to allow the trio through. As soon as she did so, the sound of loud barking could be heard from within, causing the baby to stir a bit.
Walking inside the garage, the man and woman quickly saw the cause of the barking. It was a large dog kennel, sitting there in the middle of the room. Inside was around a dozen little lab puppies, all ranging in color from golden yellow to deep black.
“Take your time to pick one.” The old lady spoke, to which the man nodded.
“Got it. Thanks.” With that, both he and the woman looked over the puppies. They all yapped loudly, playing with each other, stumbling around. The mother of the litter, a big golden lab, sat lazily in the back, observing her offspring.
After a good five minutes of looking at the puppies, and woman noticed something. There, at the back of the group, sat a small black lab. This one was different than the rest. It didn’t bark, it didn’t play, it just sat there, staring at the pair.
The staring contest continued for a good few minutes before the man spoke up.
“We’ll take that one.” The old lady stepped forward to see which one he was pointing to.
“Ah, good choice. He’s a real good pup.” Reaching into the kennel, she picked up the puppy and gently gave him to the man. “Now, let me get some supplies for him and you’ll be all set to go.” With that, she left the trio and their new puppy alone.
The black lab squirmed and wiggled around in the man’s grasp, not used to its new surroundings. The man chuckled.
“For one so small, he’s got a lot of energy. Anyway, what do you think we should call him?” He asked the woman.
“I don’t know. Something with a B, probably.” Looking down at the baby in her arms, she asked in a cooing voice. “What do you think, {Name Redacted}. What should we call him?”
“Ban- Ban.” The baby responded.
The man put a hand to his chin in thought. “Ban? Band? No, that’s a stupid name. Hmm. What about Bandit?”
“Bandit?” The woman asked.
“Yeah, it’s a cool name, and works with his black color scheme.”
The woman smiled. “Bandit.” She looked down at the small puppy. “Yeah, I like it. Bandit it is.”
Present time
With a sigh, Ruthie finished his tale. “And that’s the story of how my family got one of the best dogs I’ve ever seen. The years following were fun, frustrating, but in the end, some of the most memorable I think I’ll ever have.” Sighing, he slowly unlocked the sliding glass door, opening it and stepping outside. Following close behind, you’re met with a rather large backyard, grass growing abundantly and towering trees of green shading most of the landscape. You remain silent, following Ruthie as he walks towards the left back-corner of the acre-sized yard, where a large cluster of trees blocked the view of whatever lay inside.
“It was about six months ago that we noticed something was wrong.” His tone, once happy and content, was now sad and reserved. “Bandit always loved eating, so much so that he was usually a pretty fat dog. But about half a year ago, he suddenly stopped eating as much. After a few days of this, I got concerned, figured something was wrong with him. But vets are expensive, and at the time, my family couldn’t afford the trip. So we hoped and prayed that it was just a phase.” He sighed. “But it wasn’t. It continued for a long time. He got skinny, got weak. Started losing most of the muscles in his back legs, so much so that he couldn’t get up on his own. Lost his sight and his hearing. Basically, every bad thing you could imagine happening to a dog, happened to him. And we just sat back and watched because getting help was so fucking expensive that doing so was all we could do.”
You both arrive at cluster of trees, where Ruthie pushes some branches out of the way, allowing the both of you access. Inside is dark, with the sunlight having a much harder time getting through the thick canopy of leaves and branches above.
“A few days ago, my parents figured that he was suffering too much or something, because when I get home from school, everyone in my family is already there. One of my sisters is crying. Another is trying hard not to. The rest just sit there with solemn expressions on their faces. I know something is wrong and they know I know.”
“My mom is the first to speak.”
‘“Hey, {Name Redacted}. How was school?” I wasn’t falling for it.”
‘“What happened?” I ask, tone fearful for what I might hear. They deliberate for a few moments before one of my sisters speaks.”
“We’re putting Bandit down.”
“I just stood there for a few moments, staring at them. Then I walked to my room, dropped off my stuff, then I went outside to see him. I sat with him for a while, pet him a bit, then walked back inside before asking what was wrong with him.” After a few moments of walking, Ruthie eventually arrived at what looked like a make-shift headstone, made out of a thin piece of wood. On it was written:
Here lies Bandit.
2003-2019
A beloved pet and part of the family
“Doggy Alzheimers.” Ruthie spoke. “After saving up enough, we finally took him to the vet, only to find out that there was nothing we could do to save him anyway. That was a real punch to the face.” He sighed, rubbing a hand against his face. “I came home from school yesterday and the first thing my mom says to me is that he was gone. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. One moment he was there, the next, he’s gone.”
Sighing, Ruthie sat down in front of the grave. “Look, there’s a reason I’m telling you this. I’ve been considering going on hiatus for a while now, and Bandit dying helped me make my decision. So, for all of next week, I will be going on hiatus. Sorry if you’re disappointed, but I need some time to recuperate and to rejuice or else my writing will most likely suffer. I’d rather take longer to make a good chapter then write garbage. Probably.” Standing up, he stretched, letting out a small sigh.
“Anyway, that’s pretty much all for today, so I’m gonna head back in.” With that, he turns and walks away, only to stop. Chuckling, he glances back at you. “Also, as always, thanks for reading! Be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments!”
And then he was gone.
As someone who has lost several pets suddenly and when I couldn't be around to help them... I wish you well, and hope if nothing else you know he is atleast at peace now, not hurting, not starving, simply at peace.
Take you brake. Lord knows you need it.
Take all the time you need.
Don't even think about apologizing, you do what you need to do.
Take the time you need, we just had to put our dog down today so I know how much it hurts. It takes some time to come back form that.
Everyone here understands friend. It’s best to remember the happy times, and never forget their memory. Keep them close to your heart and they will always be there for you.
yeah, death can do that too you, take all the time you need.
i will eagerly awaiting the next chapter, though.
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I second this, it is better to take more time to get better work than to try to keep going like nothing happened. We will all be waiting patiently for you to feel better enough to keep on writing.
Good man using his turn signals at all times, even though he was the only one on the road.
Also, break should be brake. Break means stopping something for a short length of time, but a brake is what's on a car or any other vehicle with wheels.
Take all the time you need.
I know how you feel, I stayed with mine till the end.
You take all the time you need, and in honor of your beloved companion I place the following videos as a send-off:
I feel for you, I lost my Black Lab earlier this year, 2/22/19 she was 13 years old and it was a Cancerous Tumor that grew in her ribcage, she could not eat, drink or even move much because of the pain. Her name was Molly and I raised her from 6 weeks old. I miss her so much, we had her cremated so that when I move I can take her with me. Remember all the good times that you had and know that Bandit loves you very much, wherever he may be.
Hey, I hope you feel better. Take as much time as you need, and don’t push yourself.
I know a semblance of how you feel, it's not the same and honestly, my story won't compare to yours. all I can say is I hope that if that one movie/show from the nineties is right about all dogs. note I have an extended version of this comment, but I think it was ranty and things you already know... I wish you luck, and that you feel better soon.
First off take all the time you need.
Second I’d like to say that this was a interesting way to announce a hiatus.
Most would just post a quick blog or post a very small chapter saying what needed to be said.
I like the effort you put into this even though you did not need to.
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I don't like doing things half-assed. You guys deserve better than that after sticking with me for so long
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Thank all of you, so much. Thanks for the support and love. I hope to make the most out of my time off and be back ready and raring to continue Steve's adventures!
Been where you are many a time now. Take all the time you need. We will be here when you get back.
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Just don't keep us waiting to long, or we might start acting like this:
Take care my friend and take your time
Wait, this is a glorified Blog Post.
All that aside, I hope you feel better soon.
At first I was like WTH is going on but after reading what everyone had to say I just say relax dude and take your time.
pretty much the whole chapter i thought this was the wrong one until the end.
But let me say this pets are family now take as much time as use need to mourn the loss member of yours.
I know how that feels
a good...year ago. My sister and I had to put down our German Shepard Chow mix Puppy.
We call her a puppy even though she was ginormous and a very good girl.
She was cute being a light brown color with decorative fur markings around her eyes nature just gave her and a fur beauty mark on her left cheek.
She was always playful and if she saw you she was going up to you for attention.
Like you said one day she just began to eat less and less, and every time she tries to jump the small ledge to get into our house she would occasionally miss; she would look at us when that happened like even she did not know what was happening to her.
It kept getting worse and we just took her to the vet. I don't remember what she had; something to do with her stomach, but my sister and I were told she had to be put down. We discussed it and we took her home one final time to have a proper farewell.
We took her to the vet. We both picked her up to out her on the table...she was just so tired...I want to think on how i missed this?
By the time she was on the table before the injection she was already so...done?
We both held on to her, and they injected her.
It was quick. My sister fell apart after.
I just didn't want Coco to go away, but i figured she had a strange time before we got her that the
Jeez 17 years we had her were good for her.
I hope she knows how much we loved and still love her.
/take as much time as you need friend.
I'm sad now I this I need to make some more stories
Take all the time you need and I know the feeling I lost pets and people that I loved too.
Take your time, man. I know all to well how it feels to lose a furry family member. Your dog lived to be a bit over 100 dog years, though. At least he lived a long and happy life with a loving family.
I feel like I can't say anything that hasn't been said before so just...F
Take your time man, I still remember when the family cat died, I cried for quite some time, take care.
Take your time grieve and rest thank you for taking the time to inform us about this and not just stopping and leaving it incomplete without an explination
Take all the time you need, losing a pet is never easy, especially one who was your best friend. You can take as many breaks as you want, but please don't forget about your fans, we will worry if your gone too long
My condolences, take all the time you need.
I'll wait.
Yea I know the feeling of losing a pet all too well...
Jazzie
To sum up happened, Jazzie ran away (She was did that any chance she got... Just following her nose) and was missing for 3 days. We had two dogs at the time, one was 8 and the other was a puppy (Fern) who also ran off with her btw. So when they found her... She was dead right by the train tracks and must have had a heart attack when a train went passed. Fern was found with Jazzie but in good health and from what I was told at the time was that the heat from Jazzie's body kept Fern warm enough for the remaining night. If they had spent one more night Fern would have frozen to death. When we went pick them up I got a good long look at two milky iris staring into the nothingness of death. I didn't get to say goodbye ether though that being said I could still say goodbye to a corpse but that would make thing whose. After that day my life changed. I don't fear death... I will embrace death when it's time which could be anytime of any day or night. It also told me that "without death, there is no life and vise versa" so yea 'little' story out of the way. Take all the time you need hell take a month just to be safe.
I know how you feel I had to put my dog Max down last week
Take this from someone who has lost a dog as well, he's at peace. Not in any pain, but simply at peace. I went through the same as mine passed away before I could get back home, but it's okay to take a break. You need it.
Take all the time you need. It's always sad to lose a pet. Plenty of ours stick out in my mind.
All the respects and condolences my good author.
I lost 3 pets all within a month of eachother very recently. I feel your pain. It's unfortunate but sometimes there's nothing you can do. It just makes me so angry how unfair it was for them.
Our healthiest cat, who we thought would live the longest. Perfectly normal one day, three days later he can barely breathe. Cancer, flooding his chest full of liquid, squishing his lungs.
That cat had a full life ahead of him and it was just ripped away.
It's been almost a year now but it still feels like only a few weeks ago.
Ruthim, never forget your pets / others whom you hold dearly. It's horrible, but at least they're wandering through calm plains with plenty of friends and no illnesses now.
The moment I saw this chapter with the word endings, I had many thoughts going in my head, but moment that flashback showed the dog... it hit me immediately.
Sorry for your loss, and take time to yourself.
Personally, I think the worst part about death is that other people and creatures you care about may die during your life time and you won't be able to do anything about it. Also, sorry about the dog if that was pertaining to anything in the real world, I have found that getting another puppy helps.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I would like to say that a pets death is one of the hardest to handle. We humans don’t even have the ability to talk to animals (a way for them to understand us anyway), so them loving us is the most beautiful and amazing type of love there is. I know this is a bit ago but I want you to take it easy, it’s a very hard time to go through a pets death.
I'm not good with this kind of things. I have pets of my own, and one of them is getting quite old. I can only imagine how it would feel to lose them.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Warm so you might
Now that I know your actual name, it feels strange to see it hidden.