It wagged its tail and begged, which despite himself made Thrumps smile. That was all the little creature needed. It bounded over and launched itself up to cover Thrumps in a deluge of wet doggie kisses. He held it at arm’s length, to not only get a better look at it but to call a halt to so much enthusiasm.
“And just who might you be?” he asked. The dog yapped. Thrumps didn’t speak pup and so had no idea what it was saying, but whatever it was, it was saying it with gusto. Wriggling free it shot off through the velvet curtains into the shop, with Thrumps in hot pursuit.
The shop was a waiting room and judging by the posters on the wall it could only have been that of a veterinary practice. The vet nurse looked up and smiled.
“Hi,” she said and went back to whatever it was that she was doing. “Be right with you in just a mo.”
There was no one else in the room, except for the little white dog who was sitting patiently staring at the desk. Without missing a beat the nurse tossed it a biscuit.
“Off you go,” she said. “… and thank you.”
“Now then,” she said with a winning smile that Thrumps was instantly in love with.
“What can we do for you today?”
Thrumps shrugged.
“Let’s start with your name then.”
“Thrumps,” he offered not too sure if he should be imparting his full name and his title.
She looked at him with a renewed interest.
“Professor Edward Urvaine Thrumpus?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Phew,” she exclaimed. “Naturally we always expect you but I never thought it would be on my watch.” Regaining her composure she stood and offered out a hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” She said formally.
Thrumps automatically shook it, even though he didn’t know what was occurring.
The vet nurse looked around.
“So,” she marvelled. “This is the famous Emporium then.”
Thrumps nodded.
“I suppose we’d better get on with things then. Is there much to do, you know in preparation that is?” She looked at him expectantly.
He shrugged. “The Emporium usually takes care of everything itself so we are ready for when the doors open at midnight.”
“That’s …” she looked at her watch. “Hours away.”
He had no concept of time, well daytime that is and could quite often be found snoozing the daytime away, especially after a busy shift the night before. Once the allotted business concluded he often found he could not retire straight away, often still buzzing from the experience, he’d taken to adopting an almost nocturnal kind of an existence. Not always but mostly, and this was one of those days.
“Would you like some coffee,” he offered nodding towards the chairs by the fire. “And then you can tell me all about what is going to happen tonight.” A puzzled look flittered across her face, she always thought he was in charge and so would know but decided that maybe it would be nice to talk it through. Maybe he was just checking that she knew what she should be doing. Yes, that had got to be it. She smiled and nodded.
Settling into the high wing-back chairs, the coaster worked overtime keeping the mugs full as they talked. Vicki decided to start with the story of the other-worldly place of sunny green meadows and multi-coloured skies, and the importance of it being somewhere for pets to wait when they passed before their owners.
“What happens to the ones that never had owners?” Thrumps asked.
Vicki smiled. “Well as you already know,” she said sarcastically, now certain that this was a test. “Everyone knows that they wait too, but for very special humans.” Thrumps didn’t say anything, so she went on.
“Every animal has someone, just sometimes they don’t know it when they are alive. It’s not until they get to the bridge that they meet up with one of those extraordinary humans that have the honoured title of being a Rescuer.” She said the last word with awe.
“Sometimes,” she continued. “There are just so many unfortunate animals that the meadows get a bit crowded and so magic steps are taken to allow the best rescuers to come back and guide those that are lost over the bridge.”
“And tonight is the night.” Thrumps announced smiling.
She nodded. “Every vet nurse knows about it, but It doesn’t happen very often and it is such a privilege to be the one on duty when it does.” She shook her head. “Who’d have thought I would be one of them.”
“Who was the little white dog?” Thrumps asked.
Vicki smiled, “He was my first.”
“First pet?” Thumps asked.
“First rescue.” Vicki shook her head sadly. “He was a tiny scrap of a thing, thrown away like rubbish. Everyone was sure he’d not survive but I knew I had to try and so I nursed him day and night. He was always a bit wonky, a bit too sick but I made sure that at the end he knew a bit of love.”
She wiped her eyes. “And I’ve done the same for so many others since. I just can’t bear the thought of them being alone and scared, so I try and make sure they are not.”
“I think there will be a bus load waiting for you up there.”
She nodded. “I hope so and maybe when my time has come, I’ll be one of the lucky ones chosen to go back to take the other lost souls to the Summerlands.”
Thrumps smiled, he had no doubt that she would be.