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Night of the Lunar Eclipse by Daniel G.
Snethen I tried Dan, I really did. But my time has come. "It has been appointed unto all men once to
die." The same holds true for dogs too.
I hear you calling my name, Dan. And
I almost bark because I can hear the fear and sadness in your heart as you cry out: "Knightly,
Knightly buddy, where are you." I want to bark and let you know but
I am weak and ready to go.
You know the doctors only gave me 3 months to live—even
after the amputation. But we beat the odds and shared over nineteen more months together.
And
I thank you Dan for all the things I got to do during that time with my two closest friends. You and Tori made my
life a wonderful thing to have. I really didn't miss that leg and you were patient
with me.
You took me to Yellowstone and tumbled me off my seat when a grizzly bear walked in
front of the vehicle.
You took me to Forks, Washington— where I dreamed of chasing vampires
and killing werewolves.
The voyage on the Pacific, looking for whales terrified me. I
don't have sea legs and I definitely am a landlubber tripod. But your sister Karen let me lay at
her feet reassuring me as you stood at the boat's edge on a choppy ocean looking for Moby or
some other leviathan surfacing the cresting sea.
You took me to Silver City, Idaho, a
mountain ghost town and ate several slices of their various famous pies.
I visited your major
professor who invited me in on equal terms. I listened to you two,
reminiscing about days of yore chasing lizards, banding birds and catching kangaroo rats.
You
took me north of Allen where I got to explore the North American Pole of Greatest
Inaccessibility. You took me to places few dogs have ever gone before.
And now we are at your
ranch. You have fence to fix and expect me to follow along. Even with just three
legs, chasing you is so much fun.
But, I'm not feeling well and your ranch is my
favorite place. And I want to stay here, Dan. I will miss you and Tori too but most of all I know
you love me and I love you too. I want to bark. I want you to hold me. I want to spend more
time with you. Please tell Tori I love her and not to cry too much and tell her thank you for
taking me on walks, I will miss her oh so much.
I have found my spot. I know you are searching. My heart is aching. It wants to explode.
The sky is dark, and
I sense something is eating the moon. I see a dozen stars streaking across the darkling
sky blazing brightly before burning out. And I identify with those dying stars. My
once glowing light is fading too. And I whimper softly, and I cry knowing I’ll never again feel
your thick fingers running gently through my hair or be able to share your bed on a cold wintry night.
And
I love you Dan, I truly do. I truly do, I truly do and I love you. And I love you and I cry. But
I can no longer stay on this plane. The cancer has returned and I hear the stars beckoning me homeward. So
I must leave, I know it's true. Why else, would some celestial entity be eating the moon?
Daniel G. Snethen is an educator,
naturalist, moviemaker, poet, and short story writer from South Dakota. He teaches on the
Pine Ridge Reservation at Little Wound High School in the heart of Indian Country.

Dawn
Snethen was the twin sister
of Daniel G. Snethen. Dawn was a professional dog groomer and an artist. She loved
animals and her savior Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Dawn succumbed to Covid just a few
months before Knightly made his voyage to the stars.
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In Association with Fossil Publications
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