Burying a dog

  Burying a dog

  On the desolate hill, the north wind exercises its mighty power, howling and sending withered branches and fallen leaves flying all over the sky.

  An old man stood on the platform, guarding a pile of yellow earth, with a handful of snot and a handful of tears, crying so sorrowfully.

  This man is hunched over with his back bent, and has a goatee beard.

  But seeing him, she wept and counted:

  "Oh heavens, I'm so miserable, a bachelor until 75, if it weren't for this dog, there would be no one but my old mother, and who knows, maybe my bones would have been beaten to dust by now. Dog, oh dog, my good dog Collie, you're like my own child. Twenty years ago when I brought you home, you became the root of my life. You don't steal food, you don't bite people, you love cleanliness, you're obedient and understanding, just like my own grandchild. When I'm happy, you're excited; when I'm worried, you're anxious. Once, when I was sick, you were so anxious that you kept whining. You asked the neighbors for help and quickly called a doctor. When I recovered, you were overjoyed, wagging your tail and winking your eyes. Dog, oh dog, my good dog Collie, what will I do now that you're gone? Leaving me alone, so lonely and miserable. How will I spend my days from now on? Without you at home, it's just me, a solitary old man, eating and sleeping alone, with no one to share my sorrow. Dog, oh dog, my good dog Collie, without you by my side, life is dull and meaningless. You are the root of my life; without you, home is cold and empty. Without you to comfort me in my poverty, I'd rather be dead than alive. If there's an afterlife, I hope we can be a family again, and you won't be a dog, and I won't be a bachelor anymore, and we'll live happily ever after. Dog, oh dog, the root of my life, on the cold and desolate road to the underworld, with no one to accompany me; if your spirit is not at peace, drink three cups of wine and leave the world behind. Alas, alas! Farewell."

  Ma Lao Wu cried, poured wine on the soil mound, then scooped some yellow earth to bury the dog's grave, and erected a tombstone with the inscription: "Tomb of beloved dog Lao Hei". Then he stood up in silence for a while before reluctantly leaving the grave. At this moment, the north wind suddenly stopped, the gloomy sky tore open a gap, and heavy snow fell, snowflakes fluttering down on the small mound, covering the dog's grave with white snow in an instant.

  This is perhaps heaven's lament for dogs, or perhaps heaven's pity for Ma Lao Wu.