Chapter 1The Role I Played

While scrolling through my phone, I stumbled upon a help post.

[I only have 5 days left to live. How should I say goodbye to my owner so she won't be sad?] [Should I pretend to run away and die secretly somewhere else?]

The comments section was full of dog avatars.

[This doggo thinks that's a bad idea. Your owner will feel guilty forever.] [Yeah, I accidentally got lost once, and my owner looked for me for half a month. She even quit her job. What if your owner does the same?] [Sigh, if only we could talk to humans. We could just ask them how they prefer to say goodbye.]

I froze.

I commented: [If I were the owner, I would want to receive a ball made of my fur baby's own fur. That way, when I miss him in the future, I can look at it, touch it, and have something to hold onto.]

The original poster quickly thanked me. [That's a great idea! But I don't have much time left, so I can't save up naturally shed fur. I'll just have to pluck all the fur from my tail.]

Not long after, my dog jumped onto my bed, carrying a fur ball the exact same color as him in his mouth.

When I saw his bare, bald tail, I froze.

* * *

[OP, are you very sick? Why do you only have 5 days left?] [If you're in pain, just whimper constantly or stop eating. Humans will notice and take you to the vet.]

The original poster (OP) replied: [I'm not sick. I'm just too old. Dying of old age.]

A user with a Golden Retriever avatar advised: [I still suggest you tell your owner. Let her be mentally prepared.] [You've lived such a long life; your owner must care about you deeply. If you die suddenly, she definitely won't be able to accept it.]

OP posted a sad emoji. [But I want Mom to cry less.] [I'm also very scared. After I die, Mom won't be able to handle the blow and will die with me.]

As soon as this was said, the comments section exploded. [Stop bragging. Your owner dying with you? I've lived seven or eight years and never seen a human die for a pet.] [Exactly. You think you're so special. Just lying because humans can't reach you here, right?]

The comments got more aggressive. But the OP replied to each one with a good temper.

[I'm not lying. Mom was very sick before. When she got sick, she would always hug me and say if I wasn't here, she wouldn't live either.] [So I exercised every day and ate lots of food just to live a few more years to accompany Mom. But I'm really too old now.]

He posted a crying emoji. [I really hope Mom can live on happily.]