Dead!

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

While I was at work that day, my phone went off. I figured that it was unimportant, so I didn't do anything until after work was over. However, when I checked it, I found that it was from the Celestial Bureaucracy.

CelestialBureaucracyAnimalCareDepartment: Ms. Ivy Livingston - An animal belonging to you has recently passed away and arrived in Heaven. Please come to the Celestial Bureaucracy Office in Des Moines as soon as possible to pick up your pet.

They must have been talking about Dash! I was ecstatic from thinking about seeing Dash again, so I sprinted down to the train station and immediately bought a ticket to Des Moines. While I was waiting for the train, I messaged Grandma to let her know where I was going. After that, I bought myself a snack and then got on the train.

The train ride was fairly uneventful, but I couldn't wait to see Dash. I missed everything about him - even the things that I found annoying when I was alive. I missed his playfulness and curiosity, and I missed him jumping onto my bed every morning and his sometimes obnoxious meowing. I just wanted to be with my Dash again, and I was thrilled that I would have the opportunity.

Then again, this had to be hard for Heather. She loved Dash too, and I wasn't sure how much more she could take. Heather had already had way too much tragedy in the eleven years that she had been alive. She didn't deserve to have any more.

The train finally arrived in Des Moines, and I immediately found a map to help me locate the Celestial Bureaucracy's office. Thankfully, it wasn't far from the train station.

The building looked similar to the one in Washington DC, but it was quite a bit smaller. Even so, it was easily one of the largest buildings in Des Moines. I pushed open the door, and entered the lobby.

The room was clean and bright, maybe even a little bit too much so. In a way, it had the same feeling as much of the rest of Heaven: reeking of artificial cheerfulness. "Hello, how can I help you?" a perky young woman asked me.

"I'm here to pick up my cat," I said.

"Animal Care is on the fifth floor," she said.

"Okay, thank you," I said. I found the elevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor. I waited as the elevator went past the second, third, and fourth floors (Housing Assistance, Food Service, and Soul Analysis, respectively) and finally stopped when it reached Animal Care. I then stepped out of the elevator and found myself in the office of the Animal Care Department.

The office was fairly small and plain, but I could hear the sounds of various animals from behind the walls, from dogs barking to birds singing. There was an older man sitting behind a desk in the office, so I told him that I had received a message to come here to pick up my cat.

"Adoption and Animal Return is the third door on the right," he told me. I started heading in that direction, but someone stopped me. I turned around and saw a familiar face.

"Hey Ivy," Jack said as he adjusted his glasses.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. I knew that Jack worked in Soul Analysis, so why would he be here in Animal Care?

"I was about to deliver these reports to the judging panel," Jack said, gesturing to the pile of papers that he was carrying, "but I heard that you would be here, and I wanted to ask you about something."

"What did you want to ask?" I asked him.

"Henri, Maya, Raj, and I are going to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe," Jack said. "Do you want to come?"

"What?" I said. "There's a restaurant at the end of the universe?"

"Well, not exactly," Jack said. "It's based off of a restaurant in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, specifically Milliways, which is otherwise known as the Restaurant at the End of the Universe."

"What's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" I asked.

"Why hasn't anyone else heard of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?!" Jack exclaimed. "I thought that I put it in your stack of books to read." He shook his head and then explained that it was originally a radio broadcast, but it has been adapted into many other formats. "So can you come to dinner with us?"

"Sorry, but I can't," I said. I wanted some quality time with Dash after all of this, and going out to dinner would keep me from doing that.

"Okay, that's fine, but did you know that Arthur Dent was originally going to be named Aleric?" Jack said.

"I don't even know who Arthur Dent is," I said.

"He's the protagonist of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Jack explained. "I'm telling you Ivy, you need to read those books."

"I have been reading them!" I said, but Jack was already gone. I shrugged and stepped into the room for Adoption and Animal Return.

The room was gigantic, and it was filled with animals of every type. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were running around, and I saw cats resting in their cages. Smaller animals like mice and hamsters were at the other end of the room, and there was a gigantic aquarium filled with fish. I even saw a few of the more exotic animals like snakes and tarantulas. "Welcome to Adoption and Animal Return!" a woman said as she sprinkled some food into the aquarium. "Are you thinking of adopting a pet today?"

"No, but I got a message that said that you had my cat," I said.

"What's your cat's name?" the woman asked.

"Dash," I answered.

"Oh, I love working with Dash!" the woman exclaimed. "He's one of my favorite cats here. It will be sad to see him go. I'll go get him for you." The woman went over to one of the cages and unlocked it. She then took Dash out and handed him to me. "Here you go," she said. I carefully stroked Dash's fluffy, light grey fur, and he purred softly. "Remember, Dash will reincarnate at the same time as you do. Until then, he's yours. Take good care of him."

"Thank you so much," I said.

"You're welcome," the woman said. "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks, you too," I said. I found my way out of the building and headed back to the train station. Then, I took the train back to Cedar Creek. When we got home, Dash was very excited. He immediately started running around the house, and once he had tired himself out, he curled up on my bed and fell asleep.

It had been a long day, but it had been a great one, and to be honest, I still had no idea what the big deal about the Restaurant at the End of the Universe was. 

A/N: Hey everyone! @RadioSpirit and I are writing a fanfiction together about how awesome Ray Toro is (among other things). It's up now, and it's called The Day We Forgot The Guitarist, so check it out! :D