A Short Story

January 2, 2015; a day that Elijah Bents could not forget. He always took the blame, but everyone knows there was nothing that could have been done.

Today was only a week after the fire. No one has recovered. The firefighters saved all the people, but left behind Griffin. Elijah was the first one out and when he tried to go back for Griffin, he was unsuccessful.

Elijah met Griffin in 2010. Griffin was a White Bernese Mountain Dog. He was strong and tough. Elijah was only five years older than Griffin, making him ten years old.

After the accident, Elijah was on a mission. He would discover if there was an afterlife for dogs. Months went by, and he still hadn’t found any answers.

“Why are you so concerned?” asked a boy walking near him. “I always see you out here asking around. What’s the big deal?”

“Well, you see, my dog died a few months back. I can’t seem to live without him.” Elijah replied.

“What if there is no afterlife?” The boy asked

“I don’t know” He’d never thought about that. “I really don’t know.”

The boy turned away and left. Elijah continued to seek answers. Each day grew more difficult without Griffin by his side.

One day Elijah received an anonymous letter. It read:

I see you have been searching for an existence of an afterlife for dogs. The only possible answer is Heaven. I do not know if you believe in Jesus Christ but if you do, you also will go to Heaven one day. In saying that, I’m honored to inform you that all dogs most definitely go to heaven.

-Anonymous

Elijah was jumping with joy. He would accept Christ, and then be with Griffin. He would finally see him again. He had no idea what believing in Jesus would do for him, and now, he knew.

“I must go see him!” he yelled. He found it the perfect moment considering his parents were not home. He tied his blankets to the top of his bedroom door, leaving a loop at the bottom. He slipped it over his head, pulled it tight, and let his body hang. A few moments later, he was gone. He, as he thought at least, was going to see Griffin in Heaven. No more waiting. However, there is one thing. He forgot to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, leaving him only one place to go, and it wasn’t Heaven. He was gone.