"This should never have happened," Charmie said to no one in particular because no one in particular could hear him. He got up from the dirt and looked at his fur. "Oh no, Mimi will be so mad" he lamented. She would never have wanted me out here in the dirt road -- not by myself -- he thought. Why, why, why did I come out here? What was I thinking?
But Charmie wasn't on the dirt road any more, and now that he thought about it ... he didn't feel so hurt or dirty anymore. He looked down at his fur where all the red clay had been. It was gone. All the red, sandy clay was gone. Good. Mimi won't be mad. Mimi is always so mad when I get all dirty. But I like it when Mimi gets me all clean again. I like it when she scoops me up and brushes my wavy curls. Sometimes she even sings to me. I like it when she sings. Where is Mimi?
"Mimi!" Charmie barked. "Mimi!"
No Mimi. Where is Mimi? Charmie looked around, but he didn't see Mimi, or his house, or his yard, or his tree, or anything else that looked familiar. What's wrong? What happened? Charmie wondered where he was. Nothing he saw he'd ever seen before. Nothing he smelled he'd ever smelled before. This place looked so different. This place smelled so different. This was such a different place.
Charmie walked and walked. Then he realized that he was on a path. He'd never been on this path before, but he wasn't scared. "This is a nice path. Mimi would like this path." He barked out loud. Then he heard something.
Up ahead he saw something. Then he heard something. It was a dog. Another dog was on this path, so Charmie hurried ahead to meet this new dog.
As Charmie crested a hill, he saw that it was not "a" dog but lots of dogs -- of all kinds: tall dogs, short dogs, big dogs, and little dogs. It wasn't just dogs barking either. There were cats too, and birds, and horses, and even creatures that Charmie had never seen before. "What is this place?" said Charmie.
"This is Rainbow Bridge!" said an ostentatious Dalmatian whose spots were situated just so, and he looked as if he wore a waistcoat. "Welcome. Welcome, Charmie. We've heard all about you!"
Charmie couldn't believe his ears. While directing him to a cool bowl of water and some delicious treats, the Dalmation barked on and on about things Charmie didn't know anyone else knew: like how he liked to sleep with his nose in Mimi's hair when she would lie on the couch; how he'd take Mimi for walks when she was too sick to want to; how he would wash Mimi while she slept -- just to freshen her up for when she would wake; how he always stood up when Mimi entered the room; how he helped the kittens when they lost their mom. Charmie listened and listened. They knew him here. He was with friends. They all loved Charmie in this new place.
Charmie was introduced to everyone that day, but it took a while to meet everyone. It seemed there was always one more to meet and get to know, and there was always someone new trotting up the path -- the path that brought him here.
However, there were times each day, when he would decide he'd played enough tag with the gang. Charmie missed Mimi. He missed putting his nose in Mimi's ear. He missed resting his chin under Mimi's hair. He missed licking Mimi's sweet, salty palms. He knew she must miss him too. What was Mimi doing now without him to care for her?
So each afternoon with the sun shining bright, Charmie would pick out a big, fluffy cloud and wish very hard. He wished and wished with all his love. He wished and wished and barked and barked. He barked that Mimi might get a message. He wanted Mimi to know that he loved her and missed her.
Every afternoon Charmie wished. Every afternoon Charmie barked. He wasn't sure how, but he knew if he wished hard enough and barked loud enough that Mimi would have to get the message.
Then one afternoon it happened. The sun was just right and the clouds were just right. Charmie had wished and wished and barked and barked until his love floated up on the tiniest of breaths -- up and into one of the clouds.
The love breath floated up in the cloud and the cloud was quite surprised. This was rather odd. So the cloud whispered to the other clouds what had happened. The clouds had a meeting -- which looked like a storm --and they decided what to do.
Mimi never expected it. Who would have? But Mimi knew instantly when she saw it. It was a message -- a message from Charmie.
There in the sky was a sun dog. It was all the colors of the rainbow floating just above Charmie's favorite tree. It was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. Mimi was mesmerized. She stood and stood while the sun warmed her skin. She was warmed all over and inside too. Then the sun dog floated down and rested in her hair.
And she smelled his puppy breath -- love breath -- in her hair.