Master lay in bed, wheezing, choking, looking up at the water mark on the ceiling. He was alone except for his servant sitting straight by the bed, his eyes fixed on the man, his irises filled with love.
The man grunted and with obvious effort lifted a hand from the mattress. It did rise, but not high enough. His companion though, lowered his head and laid it to rest on the bed, right under the raised hand. The man let his hand drop gently on his companion’s head. Then the tips of his fingers moved, only the tips, and caressed the hair on the resting head. At his master’s touch the companion moaned a sad moan, but simultaneously wagged his tail.
The man drew in a long rasping breath that came back out as a sigh and his body moved no more.
The man’s friend, sitting next to the bed, his head supporting the dead hand, noted the change but made no movement. Not for a whole day and a night. His eyes were black pools of sadness. His tail lay motionless in the dust, forgotten.
When morning next dawned, the lonely friend decided it was also his time. He howled a long whining howl and then he too let go and drifted into oblivion.
—
This made me so sad while writing that I had to hug and kiss my three dogs for a full half an hour before I was able to publish it. My three miscreants didn’t offer much comfort though. They ran around pointing their noses at the food bowls, completely ignoring my need for affection. Oh well!
This is for Trifecta. The word is TIME.
3a : an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end <arrived ahead of time>
b : an opportune or suitable moment <decided it was time to retire> —often used in the phrase about time <about time for a change>
Sandra's scribbles 
Oh my goodness, I’m dripping tears all over the kindle. This so beautifully written. A testament to the love of our furry companions.
Oh sorry I made you cry! But thank you for your beautiful comment.
Oh, now I am crying! very good writing.
I’m sorry to hear that, although I’m glad you were touched by this little piece. Thanks a lot for reading.
;__; awww, that’s a tear-jerker!
I’m glad to hear that, thanks Draug.
Such a sad piece – sensitively written.
Thank you Sandra.
Dog’s eh? They do don’t they…
Yup!
Gah! Heart-breaking!
🙂
This was wonderfully written. Captivating emotion throughout the entire piece, To bring tears to the reads eyes in such a short time is impressive. Bravo!
What a nice comment! Thanks Marisa.
Dang you…I almost cried! Luckily I stopped it at “misty.” That image didn’t help, either.
Dogs are such ‘pleasers’ I could totally see this happening. Cats, however… not so much 🙂
Yeah, a cat would be on top of the man pressing his pause in his chest reminding him that it’s time for food!
Aw, so sad. Loyal companion to the end.
Thank you for your comment Trifecta 🙂
This is a lovely writing.
Thank you Lumdog, I appreciate the encouragement!
beautiful – I imagine this happens more than we know. 😦
Yes, probably 😦
Very sad. 😦
Reminds me of an old dear neighbour of mine who passed away; the next day his family made the hard decision to put his dog to sleep, as he was very old, blind, and lost without his master.
Well done on this emotive piece.
Oh no that’s so sad!!
Oh, wow, the combination of the piece and that picture of the dog just killed me. There’s no devotion like a dog’s, is there?
No there is isn’t. Oooh reading these comments is making me miss my little balls of fur!
This is heartbreaking and beautiful. It brought me to tears. Very, very well done.
Thanks a lot Wendy.
Ah man, you had to throw in the puppy dog eyes at the end too? lol. Beautifully written.
Anything for effect 😉 Thanks a lot for reading.
If anyone writes about fur-babies – I’m a sobbing mess. Reminds me of the story of Hachiko. Simply loved this Sandra, thank you for sharing and also hugging your fur-babies 🙂
Hehe 🙂 You’re welcome, and thank you for stopping by.
Oh no. This is too sad.
It is, isn’t it? Thank you for reading.
Oh, so sad, and so sweet. But my favorite part was the personal bit you added at the end, about you and your dogs. That was a lovely epilogue.
Thanks Christine, now I’ll go and tell them 😉
Dogs often do what the rest of us want to… Lovely, melancholic piece.
Yes, they are not hindered by logic! Thank you for your comment.
Aww,so sweet & heart breaking,all in one breath!What loyalty,devotion& unconditional ,love!We human beings should learn something from these beautiful animals!A touching piece.
Thanks a lot Atreyee, glad you liked it.
🙂