“Hi Charlie, are you okay?” asked Tommy to his best friend who looked very sad. Charlie shook his head as he fiddled with a dog collar. He looked like he has been crying all day. Tommy immediately realized that something bad must have happened to Bolie.
“Where is Bolie, Charlie?”
Charlie pointed at a spot in the yard in front of him. It looked like a little grave. “He died last night” Charlie tried not to cry because he is a boy.
“Oh, no! Charlie…I’m so sorry….” He hugged his best friend’s shoulder and they cried together. Tommy knew that Bolie had been sick, but he always thought that he would soon recover and play together again with him and Charlie, chasing butterflies in his garden.
For a long moment they just sat and cried in front of Bolie’s grave, then they were both silent.
“Will Bolie miss me as much as I miss him, Tommy?” suddenly Charlie asked. Tommy nodded.
“Are there butterflies in heaven, Tommy?” Charlie asked again. “I don’t want him to be lonely up there”
“He won’t, Charlie, there will lots of butterflies there to play with” Tommy said. “Butterflies can fly as high as heaven above”. Charlie felt relieved, and now he smiled and looked up the sky.
“He’ll be chasing them among the clouds, Tommy”
“Yes! And I think this time it would be harder for Bolie to catch them, because they can hide inside the clouds!”
“And Bolie would sink his face and legs inside the clouds”
“Yes! Yes! And the clouds would stick on his face and legs as he pulled them out! Like the detergent foam did to my mum whenever she washed our clothes!” added Tommy.
“Oh, Tommy, the clouds can give him as much trouble as the butterflies!” Charlie said excitedly. He was not crying anymore.
“Hahahahahahaha”, they both laughed.
Suddenly Charlie pulled a small disc out of his pocket. Its size was as small as his palm.
“Tommy, this magical disc keeps the bark of Bolie in it!” He showed Tommy the small disc.
“Really? Wow, that is cool!”, “How does it do that, Charlie?”, asked Tommy.
“I don’t know how it could keep voices in it; daddy gave me the disc this morning. I will take this disc wherever I go.” He then smiled, and played the disc back. Then he lay down and closed his eyes. Tommy closed his eyes too, and they both listened to an episode of butterflies chasing on a Sunday morning.
“Come on, Bolie! … Go get the butterfly!”
“whoof, whoof, whoof…!!” Bolie barked.
