Mr. Pug & Mr. Other Pug

Mr. Pug and Mr. Other Pug walked up the hill slowly, made slower still because Mr. Other Pug kept stopping to nibble at the green, green grass.

“No time for salad,” said Mr. Pug.

“It’s so green here,” said Mr. Other Pug. “It’s like it’s never been peed on.”

Mr. Other Pug took a big mouthful and chewed while he walked. “I like it here,” he said.

At the top of the hill they looked over the other side and saw hundreds of big stones and marble crosses jutting out of the earth. Some had angels made of granite and some had scary skulls and crossbones.

Mr. Other Pug smiled at the sight. “It’s like a pee-pee playground,” he said to no-one in particular.

“Don’t be stupid, ” said Mr. Pug. “This is a cemetery.”

“So, what are we doing here?” asked Mr. Other Pug.

“Rocky,” whispered Mr. Pug, barely audible.

“Oh, yeah,” said Mr. Other Pug. “Poor Rocky.”

They continued down the hill, weaving through the headstones. Mr. Other Pug noticed names and dates carved in each one. They walked past the ones that looked like little houses, and jumped over the ones that hardly poked out of the ground at all. The path wound over little streams, around rolling hills and under weeping willow trees. They meandered this way, and they meandered that way.

Eventually, when they couldn’t locate a jutting rock with Rocky’s name carved in it, they sat down by the edge of a quiet pond. There were beautiful white, orange and black koi fish swimming below, and they came up to the surface to ask the pugs for some breadcrumbs.

“It sure is peaceful here,” said Mr. Other Pug.

“Yes,” said Mr. Pug, lost in thought. “Like heaven, I’d imagine.”

They sat in silence for a while, with the sun on their backs and the sounds of ducks splashing down not too far away. A cool breeze repositioned their fur a little bit and Mr. Other Pug sniffed at it. It smelled like springtime.

“Rocky would have liked it here,” said Mr. Other Pug.

“Yes,” said Mr. Pug. “He would have.”

They sat for a while longer. The clouds came in and blocked the sun a little bit, but it was still nice and warm and the flowers nearby attracted bees and butterflies. Normally they’d give chase, but not today.

“Mavis would have liked it here, too,” added Mr. Other Pug, breaking the silence.

“Yes,” agreed Mr. Pug as he rubbed his eyes a little. “Mavis would have loved it here.”

Mr. Other Pug smiled at Mr. Pug, who stood up and stretched.

“Rocky and Mavis both would have loved it here,” said Mr. Pug to no-one in particular. Then he redirected his attention to Mr. Other Pug.

“Hey, it’s getting late,” he said, “and we should head back.”

“You sure you want to go? We can stay a little longer if you’d like,” offered Mr. Other Pug.

“Nah. I’m OK,” said Mr. Pug. “Besides, It’s nearly dinner time.”

He started to walk towards the direction they came from. “Besides,” he added, “I bet I can beat you back to the salad bar on the top of that hill.”

“You’re on,” smiled Mr. Other Pug, as the pair started running under willow trees and over streams, zigging and zagging around dozens of marble rocks jutting out of the earth to the far end of the cemetery where the sun was still shining.

They were full of life and it was a really special day to be a really special pug.