She stood staring before her at the tiny lifeless soul, who at one point in her life was her best friend. Gazing back at her with hollow eyes was a weak, deceased body lying in a freshly dug hole. She gave a nod, signaling to the others that she was ready, and slowly they began filling it as she took a step back. Trembling, the fear, shock, and realization hit her all at once, and immediately her eyes reddened and filled with tears. “Run,” she thought, and instantly, her body shot in the opposite direction down the steep slope of where her family had decided to bury him. At that moment, it seemed as if time itself was running in reverse. Her knees finally gave in after a while, and she threw her body on the ground, hitting the soft earth of the woods. Closing her eyes, she felt the wind blow against her skin, and her mind began to blur, traveling what felt like hundreds of years back to childhood memories that she had kept locked away from the present.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer a college student, but a six-year-old in a child’s nightgown, surrounded by presents that had been freshly torn open under the Christmas tree. There he was, the best gift of all: a golden retriever puppy on her lap. Her parents had introduced him, only minutes ago, but the second she laid eyes on him, the feeling of love, excitement, and indescribable happiness gushed through her once again and she relished that moment. The puppy ran off and barked in approval of his new friend as she laughed and chased after him. His little tail wagged as he pounced off, and from then on they both knew that they would be inseparable.

The scene began to blur once more; her mind began replaying her favorite memories. From her first walk, she remembered excitedly attaching the gleaming new leash as the puppy moved around impatiently. To reliving the feeling of waking up to her dog licking her face each morning, he stood by her side through all her achievements and successes to her broken dreams, expectations, and relationships. During times when no one else was willing to listen, he sat in her lap with ears perked, patiently sitting through her tearful rants and comforting her better than anyone else could. He was a dog, but she knew he understood her more than any person could.

She didn’t know it at the time, but she was his entire world. The small puppy that had grown into a fine dog had loved her unconditionally and cared for her more than he had cared for himself everyday. Friends came and went, toys were outgrown, but the memories she had with her dog were timeless. He taught her to have fun despite the hardships, and to face challenges with positivity. She could never resist the urge to smile each time she saw him wagging his tail with happiness. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and was back in the present, lying in a patch of soft grass. A dog’s love. He wasn’t her entire world, but he had made her entire world whole.