Nip and Buster had lived together for a while, not too long ago, but Buster was small and so was the house they all shared. It was noisy and there were two other dogs, and those dogs were different from him and his friend Nip. One of them, Jake, was his best friend for a long time, but the other one, Charlie kept to herself. Jake and Charlie were supposed to be the same kind of dogs, but anyone could see they were different as night and day, and they never really talked to each other. Jake was always so much more busy with Judy than Buster was in those days, and Charlie was with her person, Lee. 

So Buster and Nip got into lots of fun on their own. And sometimes they got into trouble too.

But their run in the woods was great, even though the girls got tired and so they never got to reach the top of the mountain, or even see that pond Judy said was out there. But although neither of them glimpsed the heaven Grandpa had told him about, it was great fun to look for it and the day itself was kind of heaven. 

Then time went by...so MUCH time. It was year after year after year. First Nip and Holly moved away and then Buster and Jake moved into a new house, all their own! It was a big one too, with lots of room. And those big old horses Judy liked came there and lived too. And now Judy was really busy with all the horses and the house and with Jake and Buster and the cats ['icky'] and the work place. After a long time though, Buster wasn't allowed to go to the work place anymore. How could he do his job if neither he nor any of the other dogs could go to the work place? Who would help the sick dogs and translate for them and tell everyone that it was going to be okay? Seemed really stupid to a smart dog like Buster. So he stayed home and did a lot of dreaming.

Then, well it seemed pretty foggy, but Buster got very old and he wasn't able to walk so good, but he would anyway! He loved Judy and now that Jake had gone [Grandpa told him it was to that heaven place the last time Buster saw him] well Buster had to really keep her company and not let her get sad. She still had the big old horses and some new cats ['icky']. He still wasn't sure of where Nip went but he hoped she remembered the mountain and the story of heaven and how they knew the way for themselves! 

Buster was tired a lot then, real tired most of the time, and Judy cried a lot and he tried to tell her not to, that it was okay. He tried to tell her that he could almost smell the juniper and the scrub brush, so he must be on his way back to the mountain and that trail and, well wherever it led, it was supposed to be wonderful! But she cried still. He could hear her far away but eventually the sound of it got so quiet, almost like a dream.  

And then, suddenly - sure enough - Buster was there! He was trotting up the mountain trail, and as he crested the ridge he saw...JAKE, his dear, old buddy Jake! And Jake looked so good, shiny like, and he was never that clean at home, and he was so bouncy and fun to play with! Jake told him all kinds of wonderful things and Buster kind of got lost in the fun of it all. Squirrels aplenty for Buster to chase and chase! And there were some one's socks, just lying around, like a zillion pair all his own!

So much more time, well what seemed like time, passed and Buster ran and played each day. He was kind of even happy when he saw some of the cats he used to know [they were not too 'icky' now though] and the big old horses were all there too. Those horses, and one in particular, use to try and bite off his tail if he ran in front of their stall, but they never did that anymore. It was so great and so much wonderful time went by. 

One day, Buster was decided it was time to find that pond - the one on the mountain that Judy had told them about. He heard there were something called fish in there and they would play with you, but they smelled funny. He was trotting along a trail alone [why spill the beans on a new discovery too soon?] and he suddenly ran across another familiar face. It became a bit more recognizable as he grew closer to it, and finally he realized, it was Grandpa, that stodgy old dog from the work place! Buster noticed now, even old Grandpa looked great in a way that he could never have pictured.  

And Grandpa told Buster that he heard his old girlfriend Nipper might be on her way up the mountain. "No!" Buster said, "that is too wonderful!" "Are you sure?" Grandpa stopped a minute, on his strolling trip across the ridge, he sniffed the air and seemed to be listening to something with his head cocked. And then Buster thought he heard it too, something like a crying sound, like he heard when his Judy cried for him. "Yup," Grandpa drawled "just got confirmation, you better get on down there if you want to meet her in time.' 

And Buster scrambled as fast as he could ever run, his head bobbing up and down, his beautiful golden feathers flying from his legs and his tail. "Nipper's on her way! What a joyous day!" And he crossed the ridge, spotted the pond, but kept on running down the hill. The path was steeper than he remembered, and he was reckless, but it was so important that he be there to greet and sniff and lick Nipper just the way Jake had been there for him. Then Buster came to a screeching halt - pebbles and dirt and birds flying up everywhere, and there she was...SO beautiful and so noble, just trotting up this hill alone. Nipper looked a little bewildered and dazed and suddenly he remembered a few moments like that himself, like being really deeply asleep and not knowing if you were running after that rabbit on the trail or in the house, and so Buster ran down and greeted her. 

"Nipper, Nipper! It's ME - Buster!" He yelped. And they both went crazy! Jumping and barking and sniffing and rolling and licking and lapping and after a while Nipper asked where he had been all that long time, and told him about the crazy dream she had. "It was so real Buster," she said very serious now, "I was so very old and it was hard to breathe and the crying..." "Where you crying?" Buster asked sadly. "No, I guess not, but my companions were. Oh Holly cried so hard - listen you can still hear it - can't you?" 'Hmm,' they both sneezed and Nip shook her ears in a floppy sort of way. And Buster decided he needed to tell her what he knew. "Nip, I think that's what was then, this...where you and I are here...oh and where we're going - you won't believe that - but it's...well...NOW."  

Buster slowly turned and started Nip trotting on up the trail as he told her what he experienced there and how good his legs were now and how he never needed a bath but swam all the time anyway. And all his friends were there, and hers probably too, and well it seemed like that's the way it was suppose to be. Everyone there just kind of knew it.  But then Nip stopped - totally stopped - right in the middle of the trail. It didn't concern Buster at first, he went on sniffing and digging at things and he noticed she just sat there and was looking down the trail. It was a long trail and it went as far as the best dog eye can see. And he said to her "Nipper what are you doing? Why have you stopped?"

Nipper said "Well I have to wait. My person Holly isn't with me and I can't go anywhere without her."

It was kinda sad and it made Buster remember Judy too. But then he looked up the trail and he saw Grandpa sitting on the ridge, licking his feet and Buster thought he looked down at him and nod. Then Buster flashed, "Hey Nipper, they're coming here too, but you know how slow they are, girls - people! They ARE coming - both of them. And there is some one here looking for them too. I saw her one day. But they are going to be a long time before they meet us, and well they always knew where this trail led!" "They just never bothered to tell us," he grumbled under his dog breath. 'But we've got to go and they'll meet us there...they always do!'

"Are you sure?" Nipper said...she had taken a few more steps up the hill and then stopped and looked back down again, longingly. "Yup, I'm SURE!" Buster said, and he turned on his heels and barked, 'Now you gotta see if you can catch me, you never could catch me!" Nip heard that last bit as he scrambled on up the hill out of sight. She sighed, and looked down one more time and then - zoom - she ran on after him. 'Dang Buster,' she growled. 'He will just get himself into trouble. I better get on after him so I can save him from disaster one more time.'

And off they both went. Of course Buster waited for Nipper on the top of the ridge. He looked over at Grandpa who was done cleaning his paws now and he seemed to wink at Buster in a knowing sort of way.

Holly Sharpe-Moore
Santa Fe, NM USA

~PEACE

IN MEMORY OF:
Nipper (the wonder dog) who was my companion for 17 years. "Our pack cannot be divided." 8/2002

 





And also in Memory of Jake & Buster (Brown) my sister Judy's very loyal companions who are deeply missed, but we know are waiting for us.