Chapter 1
As Billy lay by the side of the road he knew two things. He
knew that he was loved and that his legs hurt.
All four of them.
“He just ran out into the road!” sobbed the woman who had been driving the car but Georgia and her mother were not listening. They were cradling Billy’s head and Georgia was whispering in his ear that everything was alright and could he stand up now?
“That’s greyhounds for you,” a passer by commented “they just have to run don’t they?”
There was quite a crowd of people gathered around Georgia, her mother and the crumpled dog. Georgia was now begging Billy to maybe just raise his head or wiggle his tail and her mother stood shaking her head and fighting back her tears.
Billy didn’t raise his head but he opened one eye and looked at the road. He’d never been on the same level as the road before and there was a lot going on. There were several beetles risking the crossing of the tarmac and in the verge nearby was a shoe. He wondered why there was only one shoe and how it got there and hadn’t whoever owned the shoe realised he was only wearing one?
“You should take him to a vet – put him out of his misery,” someone said as Georgia tried to cuddle Billy.
“Don’t cry love. You can always get another. There are plenty of greyhounds that need rescuing.”
Georgia’s mother glared at the man and told him that wasn’t the point. Billy was their dog and they loved him deeply. But she still took her phone out of her pocket and rang her husband to bring the car over and asked him to warn the vet that they were on their way.
Billy had come to Georgia and her family from greyhound rescue. Who could have resisted him? It was Georgia that chose him from his picture on their website.
Billy is a friendly, happy boy who likes a fuss and walks nicely on his lead. He’d love to have a family he could call his own and we hope he finds his forever home.
Has not been tested with cats.
And there staring out at them from his photograph was a lovely dark grey dog with a white fur heart on his chest who looked as if he was smiling at them.
They applied for him right away, filled out the forms and had a visit from the rescue centre. It was noted that there were no cats and they signed him off. That had been nearly a year ago and he did walk nicely on his lead. The trouble was he wasn’t on his lead the day he ran into the road.
When the vet saw Billy she frowned and carried him into her examination room, shutting the door behind her. Georgia and her mother stood alone in the waiting room, sat down on the bench for a moment and then got up again. They walked round and round looking at the pictures on the notice board but not really reading them.
LOST. Cream labradoodle. Last seen by the heath. Reward offered.
KITTENS for sale assorted colours.
A fire that wasn’t really a fire flickered in the pretend fireplace and on the mantelpiece were lots of thank you cards from people who wanted to thank the vet for saving their pets.
Georgia and her mother waited and waited which is what you do in a waiting room and when the vet opened the door and they saw her face they both knew.
“Come and say goodbye,” she said, “I’m afraid he’s not going to make it. We can mend his legs but he’s in shock and his heart will soon give out.”
They found Billy lying on the table. He lifted his head a little, waggled his tail, sighed then shut his eyes.
“He’s gone over the Rainbow Bridge,” Georgia’s mother whispered to Georgia, holding her tightly.
“What’s that?” Georgia asked, wiping at the tears that were pouring down her cheeks.
“They saw it’s the bridge leading to Heaven where pets go. They wait in a meadow the other side until their owners are re-united with them when they too die.”
“But Billy will have a long wait won’t he? For us I mean?”
“He won’t be waiting – he’ll be playing,” her mother said grasping for something that might cheer her daughter up. She didn’t believe in it herself and rather wished she hadn’t put the idea into Georgia’s head.
But it helped. Georgia attempted a small smile.
“Run free Billy,” she said.
They say it is the hearing that is the last to go and Billy heard the words Rainbow Bridge and liked the sound of it. He’d heard those words before and tried to think who else had said them. Then he remembered the neighbours Mr and Mrs Parsons. They used to have a naughty old terrier that loved to play with him. The dog was called Ted and he was always getting into trouble but everyone loved him. If the neighbours went away on holiday he was allowed to stay with Georgia’s family and Ted and he used to share the same basket and play fight over the rubber bone. Then he’d died. He was after all very old and one day his heart gave out.
“He’s gone over the Rainbow Bridge,” Mrs Parsons had said crying into her handkerchief. “He’ll be with the others now - Bob and Jessie, Rover and little Terry.” And Billy had thought it all sounded rather jolly.
Now Billy opened his eyes and through the window he did see the beginning of a rainbow in the distance. His legs didn’t hurt anymore and jumping off the table he decided to check it out. Beyond the car park were fields which Billy ran through, scattering butterflies and small birds as he raced and chased and barked and snarled. He felt so happy he rolled in a clump of clover, stretching out his long legs as if he were riding a bicycle.
There was indeed a small wooden bridge at the edge of the field that crossed over a river but although he sniffed around it and looked underneath it he couldn’t see the rainbow. In the water shoals of silvery fish glided by and hands of seaweed floated in the current. Billy didn’t think this could be the right bridge but ran over it anyway and took off across the next field.
On the other side of the field which was full of buttercups and ox-eye daisies that made him sneeze, was a lane which looked as if it might be going towards the rainbow.
Making sure no cars were coming as he’d learnt somewhere that cars could be painful, he squeezed through the blackthorn bush and onto the lane. He set off at a smart trot as he was keen to see what this Rainbow Bridge was all about and was excited at the thought he might be able to play with Ted again. He wondered if there were rubber bones on the other side. He rounded a corner in the lane and saw a figure strolling along ahead of him. He pricked his ears.
A cat!
He hadn’t been tested with cats but he felt that cats were to be chased! Gathering his legs beneath him he tore off up the lane towards the cat.
Now most cats run when they see they are being chased but this cat turned around, fluffed himself up, laid back his ears and bared his teeth.
“Yes? What do you want and what the hell are you doing?” he snapped at Billy.
Billy skidded to a halt.
“Chasing you?”
“Oh we don’t bother with that sort of thing any more do we. What are you doing here - where are you off to anyway?”
“Er – the Rainbow Bridge?”
The cat reduced his size and started to lick his stripy paws. Although he was only one quarter Bengal he pretended he was all Bengal and Bengal cats are both beautiful and unpredictable.
“Yes well if you follow me you’ll get there. I know where to go. My name is Geoffrey by the way.”
After Billy had told the cat his name he asked why the cat was also going to the bridge.
“Poisoned rat! Wretched farmers they didn’t tell me they’d put poison down. Really they employed me to catch mice – what did they expect?”
“Oh sorry to hear that Geoff.”
“Geoffrey,” the cat replied through gritted teeth. “My name is Geoffrey. How would you like it if I called you Bill?”
“I don’t think I’d mind,” the dog replied.
They carried on walking in silence. It was really quite pleasant, Billy thought, the sun was warming his fur and birds were singing in the trees and no cars were driving up the lane that might run them over. He suspected though that the cat was far too clever to allow himself to be run over.
“When do you think we’ll get to that Rainbow Bridge then?” Billy asked.
Geoffrey stopped and fixed his green eyes on the dog.
“Why do you think I’d know?”
“I thought you said you knew where to go.”
“I do know where to go but I have no concept of time.”
The cat stuck his tail up in the air and strolled on whilst Billy trotted behind.
“I got the impression one just ran off over the bridge,” Billy said “not that I know anything about it. I imagine it’s just a nice place to go to. I’m hoping to see my old friend Ted. Anyway, what do you think that is ahead?”
They stopped and stared. It did look like there was a rainbow bridge in the near distance but there was something else in front of it which snaked off in the same direction.
“A queue!” said Geoffrey in disgust. “Look at them – hundreds of them. All waiting to cross.”
He strolled up to the end of the queue.
“Who’s in charge here?” he asked a black Labrador who was in conversation with a whippet.
“Well God I suppose,” she replied.
“God? What sort of God? There are hundreds of different Gods - is that the problem – or is it paperwork? That always holds things up.”
Billy and the cat looked past the Labrador and could see the queue went right over the brow of the hill towards the bridge. It wasn’t just cats and dogs either there were at least two guinea pigs in front of them, several rabbits and quite a few goats. Billy thought he spotted a couple of greyhounds ahead and was excited at the thought there might be some racing in store. This was going to be fun he thought.
Geoffrey sighed and started to wash behind his ears.
“Might as well spruce up I suppose.”
Billy was about to reply when he heard a loud noise behind him. It sounded like the thundering of hooves. He turned and saw, galloping up the lane, a very large brown horse with the most enormous feet. Out of breath it skidded to a halt.
“Am I too late?” it asked.
