The End of the Future Tense

I found th is somewhere on the web. If you’ve even a semblance of a heart, you’ll cry your eyes out, but it is “on point”.

The BEST BOY
(Original by reddit user Euthenios)

The last thing I remember is My Person bringing my to the Sharp Place.

I never understood why My Person would bring me to the Sharp Place. The smells were sharp, and they poked me with sharp things. That’s why I called it the Sharp Place. It was a bad place. I didn’t like it.

I don’t know why My Person brought me there, that day of all days. I already hadn’t been feeling good. I’d been throwing up, and my hips hurt and my paws hurt. Even eating grass didn’t help. And then My Person brought me to the Sharp Place. I tried to be mad at him, but he seemed so sad about something, so I tried to wag my tail to cheer him up. I didn’t even really notice when the Sharp Man poked me.

Then my eyes got heavy and that was the last thing I remember.

**Buddy,** a voice said. **Buddy, wake up.**

I opened my eyes and got to my feet, and I realized my paws didn’t hurt anymore. I tried a wag, and that was fine, too. I sniffed the air. It smelled like the Play Park and like Our Home and the Car Window. I liked it a lot.

**Welcome, Buddy,** came the voice again, from behind me.

I turned around, and there was a person there. He wasn’t My Person, but he was all safe and good smells, so I trusted him.

*Where am I?* I said.

**You’re in the place that Good Boys go,** the person said.

*I was a Good Boy?* I said.

**You were a Very Good Boy,** he told me.

That was good. I always tried to be a Good Boy. *Where’s My Person?* I asked.

**He’s still down there,** the person said. And he waved his arm and all of a sudden we were in Our Home, and My Person was sitting on the Forbidden Chair and looking sad. Every so often, he’d look over at the Okay Couch, where I was allowed so sit, and his breath would catch because he was very sad. I tried to nuzzle him, but my nose just passed through his hand.

*What’s happening? I don’t understand,* I said.

The person sighed. **You can’t be with him right now, Buddy. I’m sorry. It’s the way of things.**

I thought about this. *So it’s like My Person is on the Person Bed, and I’m not allowed there?* I said.

**Exactly like that,** the person said. **But he can be with you someday. If you choose to wait for him.**

*Of course I want to wait for him!* I said. Not wait for My Person? Who did this person think he was talking to?

**Hold on, Buddy,** the person said. He seemed sad about this for some reason. **It’s not that simple. You have a choice.** He got down on one knee and he looked into my eyes. **There are bad things in this world, Buddy. Very bad things.**

*Like Neighbor Cat?*

**So much worse than her, Buddy.** He waved his hand, and I saw what he was talking about. He showed me dark things, that were like snakes and rats, only worse. Worse than the Sucking Machine. Worse than the Sharp Place. They smelled evil.

**These are the things that want to hurt him, Buddy. They want to hurt everybody. So you can wait for him, or you can keep him safe. But if you choose to keep him safe, then you can’t see him again.**

*What, never?* I said.

The person nodded. **Never, Buddy. I’m sorry. Those are the Rules. It’s a terrible choice.**

I looked at my paws. I didn’t want to not see My Person ever again. But I wanted to keep him safe even more.

*I know what I have to do,* I said, and the person waved his hand, and all of a sudden we were in a place with there were as many dogs as I have every seen before. More, even.

**These are all the Good Boys who chose to keep Their People safe,** the person said.

I looked at them all. I couldn’t believe it, still. *But there’s so many of us!* I said. *How many Good Boys are here?*

The person looked down at me. He smiled, but I could tell he was also partly very sad. **All of you, Buddy. Every single one.**

(And now, the rest of the story… by ProfessorMatt)

I battled evil for many years, never sleeping.

I watched over My Person day and night, learning more and more about his life. I finally saw where My Person went, all those times he left forever for the day. I learned so much about the ways of dogs and men, and I always kept him safe from harm.

I even made my peace with The Sucking Machine.

My Person brought new dogs, new people into his life. When My Person first brought home a new dog, I was jealous. *Interloper!* I barked, so loud that the new dog heard me, faintly. My Person did not, but went over to calm the New Puppy. He called the New Puppy by my name, but with a “II” at the end. This made me realize that My Person still missed and loved me.

He found a woman, and they had a child, and then another, and lived together for a long time.

When “II” eventually went to The Sharp Place, he made the Good Boy choice and joined me in keeping Our Family safe. He was a Good Boy, too.

So was the next one. And the next.

Always Our Pack of Good Boys (and eventually Girls) was vigilant. Always we were learning. Always we were keeping Our People safe.

And Our Pack grew, year by year, decade by decade.

We served without sleep, keeping the human members of our Pack safe from evil, even as My Person became old and tired, his pelt gray, surrounded by his pack of people as it grew in number.

He didn’t know we were there, but we knew, and we loved and protected him.

Finally came the day that Our Person went to the Human Sharp Place. He was in pain, but soon it would be over. His bed was surrounded by friends and family, and The Pack of Eight- all of the Good Boys and Girls he had known and loved over the years.

No evil would dare come to this place today.

I was closest to him, as befit my position as his First Good Boy. He held out his hand, and I tried to muzzle it, as though I was looking for a treat. I know that he did not know that I was there, but he smiled, and then he went away.

And so did we.

We found ourselves back in the First Place After, with the person standing there, ever kind. Standing next to him was… My Person!

**I’m so sorry I had to trick you, but you did not know then what you know now. You would have grown to resent the years waiting without seeing your Person. You would think he had abandoned you. And your Person needed your guidance and protection, for the rest of his life.**

He smiled.

**Besides, I knew you were all Good Boys and Girls. Now, you may all go with your Person, to what lies Next.**

And the Pack of Eight and One… of Nine… went away, barking and laughing.

Until I felt a hand hold my collar. It was strange. I was somehow watching myself run off into the distance with the rest of my Pack, but staying behind.

The Man looked down at me and smiled.

**You… you are The Best Boy. No more choices. You get everything… and then some. A part of you will go on with your Person; while you, you who have learned so much and worked so hard…**

And I found myself looking into a bright light, surrounded by loving faces, hearing the doctor say, “It’s a boy!”

The Best Boy…

And as the memories of my previous life ebbed away, my last thought before beginning my new life was that one day soon I would find my own Good Boy to love.Report