The Bembreneth Way

Buddies to the end they were.  That’s right, never apart.  They were always together, always.  They walked along the banks of the Mississippi river
together.  They hung out on the side of the road together.  They sat outside of the college
classrooms together hoping to get the attention of cute girls, even barked at
a few. If you saw one, the other was sure to be around somewhere.

Dogs they were. Real live canines, with four paws and a tail.  They were mutts, one brown and one black.  They liked to chase the Shetland ponies on a pasture where I worked. I let them do it.  Sometimes I would even join in on the chase.  It was fun for us all, but I tired easily.  Not them.  After they wore
us out, they would cross the street and chase the birds along the river. They were always together, always.

They were always together, never one without the other, always.  They enjoyed each others company.  No, they relished it. Sometimes they would just stand by the side of the road and watch the world go by, one looking this way, the other looking that way. Life was good, and they would always be together, always.

I saw them every day for about a year and a half.  I was in college and
worked for veterinary science.  We were in charge of a few pastures, and I
would go out and check them in the mornings. And always, there were the
buddies, my buddies. They were usually standing on the side of the road,
river road it was called, making sure the day started off in the correct way. They were always together, always.

One day as I drove into the pasture, I noticed only one standing, the
black one.  And he was more in the road than on the side of it. Well, I guessed, the other one must be close by.  After ten minutes, I still did not see the brown one.  I went over to investigate. As I got closer, I realized that the brown dog was there. But he was lying in the street.  He’d been hit by a car. It looked like he was dead, but I couldn’t tell for sure.  As I got closer, I realized he was dead. The black dog tore after me and would not let me get any nearer to them. He was protecting his buddy, as always.

All day and night he stayed with his buddy.  He would not leave his side. And he would not let anyone near him.  When cars drove around them,  they got barked at and chased.   People that knew them and tried to help also got barked at and chased.  So we stood by, helpless and in awe.  They were always together, always.

The next morning I drove out to check on them.  I could still see them.  But apparently a car driving in the night could not. It looked like the black one had gotten hit, but he was alive long enough to drag himself back to his
buddy.  And there they lay together forever…still.  They would always be together, always.

I’ll never forget my “buddies” for as long as I live.  The lessons learned from this experience are many.  Humans do not have exclusive rights to “Best Friends For Life” status.   And we need to learn more about our role in this world.  People talk of discovering intelligent life on other planets.   I say we also need to discover the “other” intelligent  life that is on this planet.   Who knows, we may learn about sticking together.

Ever since the beginning, we are now, and ever shall be always together, always.

And that is:  The Bembreneth Way