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Chilli found herself seated at an empty table in a nightclub. The same club where she met her late husband Bandit. The lights were dim, the tables were empty, and the curtains were drawn. She looked around the empty venue, wondering where everyone was and how she got here. The last she could remember, she was at her daughter’s house, lying in bed and reminiscing about her life.
A few years ago, she had been diagnosed with leukemia which had slowly metastasized. The doctors did what they could to stop it, but the treatments were making her uncomfortable. Eventually, she decided the treatments simply weren’t worth it anymore. She had lived a long and fulfilling life. Her husband and most of her friends were gone. It was time for her to move on as well. Her daughter Bluey let her stay with her during the final moments of her life, the next generations of her family said their goodbyes, and she laid in bed, waiting for the end.
Now she was here, in an empty nightclub halfway across the world. A nightclub that looked exactly the same as it had half a century ago. She looked around the room and perked up her ears, trying to look and listen for any sign of life. Then she noticed something, or rather the lack of something. She felt around her eyes and ears, realizing that she no longer had her glasses or her hearing aid. Yet, she could still see and hear everything normally. Looking down, she noticed she looked more youthful. Her fur shone the pristine orange-red it had during her youth, with no signs of the shaggy grey hairs that had slowly crept over her form as she aged. She looked amazing! Like she was… 30 years old again.
As she was studying her newly youthful appearance, she was startled by a loud sound and a light appearing in front of her. Looking up, she noticed the stage lights had turned on and were now shining on the closed curtains, as if a show were about to begin. She stared at the curtains intently, waiting to see if they would open, curious as to what was on the other side. Eventually, the curtains would slide open, revealing something that caused her heart to soar, and her mouth to drop.
Behind the curtains was a handsome blue heeler, standing in front of a microphone with a warm smile on his face. A smile she hadn’t seen in several years. She placed her paw over her mouth and felt tears forming in her eyes. Could it be?
The Heeler tapped the microphone, waiting for the feedback to recede before gripping it in his paw and speaking through it, in a tender and warm voice she had missed for so long.
“I missed you Chilli.”
It was Bandit… he was here… he had come back!
She shot up out of her chair and bolted towards the stage, driven forward by a surge of adrenaline and happiness she had never felt before. He moved the microphone aside and held out his arms, and she leapt into them, closing her eyes and sinking into his embrace. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she felt him pet her back and kiss the top of her head. She could hold him again! Feel and talk to him! He was back, and she prayed she would never have to let go of him again.
As her sobs began to dissipate, she pulled her head back and looked at him, her heart melting as she saw the cheeky grin on his face.
“How… how are you here!?!” she asked him.
“I’ve been waiting here for a while Chilli. This is the other side.” He replied.
“You mean…”
“Yeah, you passed away.”
Chilli froze and looked around the room, unsure of what to think about this. She was happy to see Bandit again, but what did this mean for those she had left behind. Her heart ached for Bluey and Bingo, waking up to find their mother had died. She knew they were tough and would carry on without her, but… their poor little hearts… would she be able to see them again? Reassure them that she was ok? She felt Bandit place his paw on her shoulder.
“You’re thinking about Bluey and Bingo, aren’t you?” he asked her.
She felt tears begin to form in her eyes again and placed her head under his snout.
“Yeah, I am.”
She looked up at Bandit and saw his cheeky grin had changed to a look of melancholy.
“That’s the hardest part about this. We raised those two little grubs for years. Now we just have to let ‘em go until it’s their time to come up here as well.”
“I don’t want them to come here too soon, I want them to finish their lives and die happily like we did. But… but… I’m going to miss them.” Chilli admitted, softly crying.
“Unfortunately, we can’t talk to them directly, but would you like to see them at least?” he asked her.
She stood back and took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. Summoning her courage, she gave him an answer.
“More than anything in the world.”
Bandit held out his paw to her.
“Take my hand.”
She grabbed his paw, and in an instant, the nightclub in London transformed into a gazebo on the side of a mountain. The sky was painted with the blue and light orange hues of dusk making way for the sparsely lit nighttime sky. In the city of Brisbane below, lights were just starting to be turned on as its denizens closed out their day. Standing by the edge of the lookout were two adult Heelers, one red, one blue. One holding an urn. Her daughters, Bluey and Bingo.
“I can see why Mum used to love this place. The view is amazing.” Bluey said somberly.
“She always had an eye for beautiful scenery.” Bingo agreed.
Chilli felt her heart break as she saw her two girls, the two little speaks of life she raised, having to face the fact that their parents were gone.
“Well, looks like this is it. Mum and Dad gave us all the love they could, and now they’re gone.”
She walked out of the gazebo towards her daughters, Bandit close behind her. She wished that their love for them could continue, that this didn’t have to be the end.
“A part of me wishes that I could have been there when she passed on.” Bingo admitted tears forming in her eyes.
“No! Bingo honey, please don’t be too hard on yourself.” Chilli tried to tell her daughter.
But she couldn’t hear her. She saw Bluey set down the urn and place a paw on her shoulder.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself Bingo. You had your own life you had to attend to. You called Mum whenever you could, and she loved every moment she got to speak with you. She knew you loved her.”
Bingo placed her forehead on the railing and began to cry.
“I… I can still remember her telling me about all the games we used to play! Keepy Uppy, Grannies, that show we put on for her when I was 4 or 5. She got so excited whenever she would talk about them, meanwhile I can barely remember them! I love you Mum! I love you so much!”
Bingo’s outburst caused Chilli to begin sobbing as well. She saw Bluey take her younger sister into a hug, petting her back as all the sadness and grief flowed out of her. Bandit did the same with Chilli, pulling her into his chest as she witnessed her daughters grieving her death. She felt the top of her head begin to get damp, she looked up and noticed that Bandit was crying as well. As her sister was sobbing, Bluey took a moment to talk about Chilli herself.
“She loved us with everything we had, never faltered in her role as our Mum, and always gave us the time of day, even when she had none to give. I wouldn’t want to have been born to any woman other than her. She was the best Mum in the world, and I can only hope my kids will think of me half as well as I think of her.”
Chilli placed a paw over her heart, moved by Bluey’s statement about her parenting. Bandit placed his paw over hers, and the two of them looked at their daughters, as their crying died down, and they began to heal.
“There is one thing I remember from my early childhood.” Bingo admitted.
“It was a dream, where I was traveling around the solar system. You were there, I think Dad was Jupiter, and I came from Earth, and in the center of this solar system was the sun.” Bingo pointed out to the setting sun on the horizon.
“Mum.”
Chilli looked out at the setting sun and smiled.
“You were the sun in all of our worlds Chilli.” Bandit told her.
“She told me, ‘I’ll always be with you, even when you can’t see me, because I love you.’” Bingo continued.
“I like to think she can see us now, through the setting sun, back with Dad again.” Bluey admitted.
“You’re right girls, I can still see you.” Chilli told them.
Bluey looked at her sister with a smile on her face.
“Now let’s show her how strong she made us! While the sun is still setting, let’s send her off to the great beyond!” Bluey proclaimed.
“Remember the checklist?” Bingo asked.
Chilli remembered it, all too well.
“You know it!” Bluey replied, fashioning her paws as if she were holding an imaginary clipboard and pen.
“Ok then, have a cry.”
“Check!”
“Pick ourselves up!”
As she read step two, Bingo picked up the urn and removed its lid.
“Check!”
“Dust ourselves off!”
Bluey grabbed onto the urn and the two of them leaned it forward, preparing to throw the ashes off the mountainside.
“And keep going! Ready Bluey?”
“On your mark Bingo!”
The two rocked the urn back and forth as they read out the final part of the checklist together.
“The!”
“Show!”
“Must!”
“Go!”
“On!”
As they shouted the last word, they scattered the ashes over the side of the mountain, cheering as the remains of their mother were carried off into the wind. Chilli smiled, happy that her daughters were able to find closure, and thankful for all of the time she got to spend with them. The scene slowly faded away and she found herself at the doors of the nightclub, face to face with Bandit.
“Thanks for showing me that big fella.” Chilli told him.
“No problem, you feel better after that?” Bandit asked her.
“Yeah… yeah I do.” she admitted.
“Glad to hear, now its time for us to leave this place.” He told her.
“Where are we going?”
“Out here.” Bandit told her, opening the door of the nightclub.
Chilli’s eyes widened as she saw the doors to the nightclub led out into a starry night sky, populated with thousands of shining stars, red and yellow, white and blue, all dancing around the cosmos lighting up an otherwise dark universe.
“Everyone we know is out there. Rad, Frisky, Mort, Brandy, Stripe’s still waiting for Trixie, but were keeping him company for the time being.” Bandit explained.
“Trixie’s pretty resilient, isn’t she?” Chilli commented.
“Yeah, we’re all rooting for her. Just like we were rooting for you.”
She heard the whinny of a horse in the distance. Looking over, she saw a beautiful orange and tan mare with angelic wings riding towards them, stopping in front of them outside of the door. She didn’t know why, but this horse seemed familiar to her.
“Here’s our ride. Ladies first.” Bandit said, gesturing for her to go first.
“Smooth as always Romeo.” Chilli commented, looping her arm through his and walking out to the horse.
The two of them climbed onto the horse’s back, Chilli grabbing onto the reins while Bandit wrapped his arms around her back.
“It’s good to see you again Bandy.” She told him again.
“You as well Chills.” Bandit told her.
She leaned back and kissed him, savoring the taste of his lips as the two of them rode off into the cosmos. Together once again.