A Message from Beyond – From Huff…

Well, well, well.
Would you look at the state of ye. It’s me, Huff.
Alive, well, and slightly see-through up here in the Big Field Beyond.

Did you honestly think a scrappy little legend like me would just disappear quietly? Not a chance, pet.

I’ve been watching. Oh, I’ve seen the carry-on down there. And before we get into it, yes, I know. Me and Heff were a pair of stubborn old shites.

Alpha males, both of us. Couldn’t be in the same room without a snarl and a scrap. The number of times you had to separate us, blood pressure through the roof, Jaysus, it was half the entertainment of the house.

But here’s the thing they never tell you. Up here, you see things clearly.
No fences, no stubborn pride. And I’ll admit it, though he was a bolshy little bugger, I was always proud of that daft brother of mine.

He’s still hanging on, isn’t he? Blind as a bat, but heart like a lion.
I see him sniffing his way around, tail up, ears still twitching for your voice.
And don’t think for a second he doesn’t know what’s what.
He might not see them, but he feels them. The cold air, the fake sweetness, the backhanded remarks. Same as I did.

Now, let’s talk about Bully. God’s gift to absolutely no one. Parading around with his shiny truck like it makes up for the size of his… well, you know.
Newsflash, pal, you can’t tow your lies up here. And there’s a pack of ghostly Jack Russell’s ready to chase you up a tree when your day comes.

And Fanny? Is she still flapping those gums and doling out hugs that feel like a wet dishcloth? We can hear her from here. Sounds like someone strangling a goose. She can paint on the smile, but even blind Heff clocks the bad air when she walks in.

And you, you’re still standing. Fair play. I know you’ve carried more than your fair share. I’ve seen the tears, the talking to the sky, the days you feel like throwing in the towel. But you haven’t. And if no one else tells you this, I will: you’re made of the good stuff, pet.

Now, I’m not one for soppy talk, but when you get that shiver down your spine, that random feather in your path, or Heff barking at what looks like thin air, that’s me. Still watching. Still causing harmless mayhem. Still nicking the odd biscuit when no one’s looking.

And don’t worry about Heff. He’s a tough old sod. He’ll find his way to me when the time’s right. And when he does, sure, we’ll probably have a scrap, and then curl up side by side like we used to when no one was watching.

Until then, you look after him for me. Scratch behind his ears in that one spot he pretends he doesn’t like, and tell him Huff says he still smells like a wet sock.

And you, keep going. Don’t let them break you. You’ve more grit than the lot of them put together.

Right, I’m off. There’s a sunbeam with my name on it and a cloud shaped like a chicken leg.

See ya round the bend.

– Huff

Alpha, Eejit, and Eternal Biscuit Thief.