You are Dolly and it is your Bridge Day

 

 Imagine your name is Dolly, you're a cat, and you have been blessed with a  pack of brothers and sister, and are living with two of the best cat parents in the world, who care for your every need and chronicle your lives daily in a blog.

You have been hiding something from your beloved parents; you are not feeling well. You have gone to the vet, who has narrowed your condition down to lymphoma or an IBD. Regardless, your parents do not think your song is ending, which exactly is how you want it.

As your vet trip approaches, you meet with each of your siblings to tell them you don't know if you will be coming back and make sure that they all step up their game and help heal their parents soon to be broken hearts. You also make them promise there would be no sadness, so the humans did not suspect the severity of your illness.

You are not afraid of going to the Bridge. You had a wonderful life and could not have had a more loving family. Even though you would miss yot family terribly, you are ready to shed this troublesome body and live without pain.

What you are afraid of is the car ride. You don't like the noise, the motion, and being unable to walk around freely. You get so nervous in the car that it worries your parents more than any illness you might have. You hope there are no motorized vehicles at the Bridge.

When you got inside the vet's office, you could no longer hide your illness, and while giving blood, you hacked up a blood clot which opened the gates to everything in your body, seeking to end your heartbeats. A second blood clot came up, and then the heart stopped, and you are floating above your stunning ad, wishing you had one more goodbye.

You arrived at the Bridge to a hero's welcome. You saw all the cats and family members who preceded you to the Bridge, and then you had a fantastic salmon dinner. Best of all, you no longer carried the pain you sought to escape (not to mention no cars.)

You found out why you came to the Bridge when your dad was struck by an appendix attacked and needed surgery. Dolly was there each step of the way to make sure her dad got back to his important role of caring for Dolly's pack.

 

You are Dolly, and while you know you left your parents devastated, you are confident you left them in the best of paws.

You are Dolly, and you are sitting on the top of a cat tree in the bright sun, licking your paw, free from pain and cars, watching over your family, and waiting for Happily Ever After, that day in the distant future when you will all be together.