Death Comes in Threes

Chapter 1

When two people die in your life only separated by a few weeks, some questions are raised. Some questions about life and death. What's beyond this life? I lay on my bed contemplating all of these questions hours after the second person died. Tears stream down my face, but I lay in silence. It is said that death comes in threes, I wonder who's the third.

The first person that died wasn't really a person, but to my family they were. Sonny, one of my family's cherished dog, the other one being Mima. Sonny was something else, he wasn't a dog. He had this energy that screamed human. He would walk cautiously, preparing for life. He would snuggle with you when you were upset and play with you when you were happy. In his eyes, we were the dogs. The memory of his death will haunt my soul for eternity.

I woke up and everything seemed to be in check, besides the fact that my parents were already awake. Sonny was moping around the house and he smelled worse than usual. When I was little and I thought the dogs didn't feel well, I would lay beside them and tell them it was okay to go if it put them out them out of their misery. Back then, neither of them had even known was the idea of misery was.

My parents seemed exhausted, my mom looked at me with tired eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?" I asked innocently.

She trudged to me, "Sonny's not feeling well. He was throwing up all night. We had to bring him to the emergency vet at two in morning. They put him on some IVs and anti-nausea, he's feeling better now." I nodded my way through every word she said.

I glanced down at the floor, then back up at her, "Will he be okay?"

Without hesitation she answered, "Yes."

So that morning, I got ready for school and ate breakfast. I always worried about death and life after death. These questioned would spiral through my mind on a daily basis. I was at the kitchen table across from Sonny drinking water. He was drinking, and drinking, and drinking. He drank a bowl full of water in one sitting. "Slow down there buddy," I stare at him, analyzing his every move.

After Sonny's water drinking palooza, I let him outside without thinking. I walked up to the water bowl in the kitchen and peered into it, empty.

Fifteen minutes later I go outside to check on Sonny. "Sonny! Sonny!" I hollered. There is a big holly tree in the middle of my backyard that blocks me from seeing half of the backyard. I walk around the holly tree and back around, he's nowhere to be found. I did this many times while simultaneously screaming his name. Nowhere. I rushed inside, out of breath and screamed for my dad. "Dad, help!"

My dad stumbled into the room panicked. My dad loved Sonny the most. He worked from home, so him and Sonny would spend all day everyday together. My dad was the only person who gave Sonny a walk almost every single day. Sonny was my dad's companion. They were best buds, but that was all about to change.

I told my dad what happened. He rushed outside with me, searching. My mom ran up to my dad, "Why did you give him all of that water? We weren't supposed to to!"
"Sorry, he was thirsty!" My dad snickered back. My neck lead my head to the left side of my backyard. There sat Sonny, hidden behind a tarp and logs. He buried his face in the ground after throwing up nonstop.

Instinctively I screamed, "Sonny!" I ran through the shrubs to him and fell to my knees. I pet him furiously, just wanting to make him feel better.

"Take him to the vet now! He needs helps!" My mom ordered my dad, she's never been this frantic.

I get away from Sonny and walk toward my mom, "Will Sonny be okay?"

She looks at me with sullen eyes, "I don't know Marly, I don't know." I nod, that's all I can do.