Diamond: A Short Story

 Diamond

“Riley, fetch!”

“Arf! Woof! Bark!” 

I had this memory of my dog Riley, which I recorded ten years ago when she was two on my phone. Riley passed away when she was eight, six years after I’d adopted her. I found the audio because I had decided to scroll through some old photos and audio recordings with my friends and stumbled upon an unnamed recording. Two years later, ever since Riley passed away, I heard her name after eight years. 

My best friend Amelia had placed her hand on my shoulder then and leaned down, swiftly interlocking her hands with mine as she had silently let the recording of Riley play on repeat. I wasn’t able to prevent the tears from flowing, but I also couldn’t let them stop as each of my friends paused what they were doing and then embraced me in a group hug. I accepted each of their feelings of gratitude as I wiped my tears and laughed.

“You know, Riley was one heck of a best friend. A best friend that was irreplaceable. I don’t understand the idea of dogs aging either.” I added with a smile. I had flicked the last of my tears off my face before I had excused myself to the bathroom. Amelia offered to accompany me, but I shook my head and told her I needed some time to process it and she gently nodded her head. 

Fast forward two more years from that moment, I found a professional who could create a memorial piece for Riley and had him make a mural of Riley using the many pictures I took during her lifetime. I had just finished fluffing up my second pillow and was about to drape my comforter on my bed when I heard a soft whine outside my front door. At first, I assumed it was one of those troublesome kids down the street who were known as the infamous “ding-dong ditchers” or whatever Gen Alpha children called them. I smoothened the comforter down and tucked the corners of the sheet into the bedframe. I stepped back and looked at my masterpiece as I chuckled mentally. I turned up my playlist and heard the whining increase and paused the current song to finally check it out. I left my bedroom and headed to the front door, sliding my headphones to my neck. I peered through the peephole and I was surprised to not see anyone. 

“Hello?” I opened the door an inch and peeked through. I was immediately covered in spit and drew back in disgust. I lifted one hand to my face and pulled it back to reveal a thick line of saliva. I shuddered and flicked it off. The door was fully open and I could finally make out what was on my doorstep.

A small brown and white dog was standing on all fours with its spotted tail wagging with pure joy. Its white ears were upright and its smile was a beautiful curved line from one ear to the other. The dog slowly walked in after noticing my annoyed expression, but I quickly brushed it off and welcomed the dog with open arms.

The dog’s tail started to wag instantly and it barked twice before finishing with one final woof. My heart began to race when I began to realize it was the same pattern that Riley would bark when we played fetch in my old apartment. I reached out and scratched the dog under the chin, Riley’s favorite spot. As I expected, the dog melted into the touch and woofed softly every time I moved even an inch away from its chin. Coincidentally the dog happened to be a girl, maybe around 2 to 3 years old.

The dog, who I ended up naming Diamond, ran to the sofa and snuggled into the edge of my sofa closest to the TV. Tears stung my eyes as Riley’s black fur appeared at the edge of my memory. I settled in next to her and she rolled on her back with her head laid on my leg as she turned sideways. I ruffled her ears and she leaned further into the touch. I knew that Riley had come back to visit me through Diamond and this time I wasn’t ever planning on losing her that easily.

Inspirational Quote: “Don’t be upset over the things you don’t have, be happy about the things you already own.”