All Dogs Go To Heaven: Charlie's Second Chance
A Fan Fiction by Robert Schettig
*Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the characters or plot items used in this story. This is a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only and is not licensed to the author or any readers thereof.
Chapter One
Charlie looked out over the San Francisco bay from a broken window of a little used warehouse down by the wharf on the east side of town. He crossed his paws and watched the sun rise over the purple fog-shrouded hills across the water in the distance; it seemed that he came here a lot nowadays. He heaved a sigh and dropped his head to the ground, bunching the fur on his neck around his large ears.
Time took on a funny stretching quality as Charlie B. Barkin starting drifting into one his frequent naps, but not quite. He heard something on the cusp of the very definition of sound that stopped his brain from its normally over eager drive to nap. The sound, which was not really a sound, was like the ringing of some sort of delicate bell, except the tone was even and steady and also unearthly sweet. Charlie had heard that sound before and he groaned in his not-quite-sleep.
The German shepherd mix was sure that his eyes were at least half open, but what he wasn't sure of was whether the vision that now appeared before him was real or only fabricated in his mind's eye, probably some grey area in-between. In any respect, before the prone, almost-sleeping hound now stood a tall whippet with bright pink fur and feathery wings that stretched down past her hips; as if that costume wasn't enough, she also glowed softly, shadows evaporated from her presence and hid in dark corners in mortal fear of the heavenly light.
"…Annabel…" Charlie groaned, he wasn't sure if his mouth was moving, his paws certainly weren't responding or he would have gotten up and left already. "I wasn't expecting to see you again for another… oh, 19 years and five months."
"Charles, you know I meant 20 years, give or take. It wouldn't be a life if you knew when you would be called back. I'd stop counting the days and enjoy your second chance."
Charlie rolled over, or at least dreamed that he did, and looked up at the inverted whippet, "That's what you and the boys upstairs would like wouldn't you? But it's not so easy not being able to talk anymore. It's all fine and dandy to hand out sunshine and marshmallows and tell people to be happy, but when it comes to the really important things, it's all 'that's how the world is' or 'there will be dire consequences.' Well I say you can take your well wishing and shove it right up your a˗" Charlie choked on the last word of his tirade, arch-angels were so damn proper not even other people's indecencies could exist in their presence.
It was then that Annabel got that so-sad and heart melting face of hers on. "Charles, we already talked to you about this. Dogs aren't supposed to talk to humans. You're not an angel anymore… that's supposed to be a good thing." Charlie fumed in silence. To him the angelic whippet was a symbol for everything that had gone wrong with his dream life in the last few months.
Finally he said, "It's still not fair, to me, to Sasha… to David. It's gotten so I hardly know the kid anymore. And Sasha…" Charlie's face relaxed in a more sentimental way that was typical for the large shepherd mix, "She hasn't been the same since. She really cared for him."
The pink furred angel stood firm, "What you thought you had between David is not how a relationship with a human is supposed to be. It's un˗"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time." Charlie curled up with his back to the glowing apparition.
The pink angel moved closer and crouched, placing her delicate head upon Charlie's thick, muscle bound neck. "Charlie, I came here today because I've been watching you." He rolled his eyes; a heavenly invasion of privacy was not his idea of being concerned or caring. "I know that you have been organizing gambling rings at the Flea Bite behind Sasha's back. I also know that you plan to create a casino once you have collected enough funds."
Charlie snorted, "I don't see how that's any of your business and I know you can't tell Sasha about any of it, just in case that was a subtle threat."
The pink furred, canine arch angel stood up, indignified, "Charles, don't presume to know what I am and am not capable of."
Charlie looked up at her from the floor, cocking his head and stared at her straight on, "Really, Annabel? You're not even here right now. You're just a spook, a spirit, a ghost, and the only reason I can even see you now is because I was the same way not too long ago."
The whippet's form flickered momentarily at the wave of disbelief and purely material Truth. She surged forward, her inner light briefly outshone the rising sun, "Charles, listen to me! Things are changing in Heaven, policies are being rewritten. You are endangering your place in the afterlife."
Charlie sat up, or rather, the idea of himself sat up, this was the first interesting thing the whippet had yet said. He asked, "What do you mean? All dogs go to Heaven, right?"
Annabel turned her snout to the side, an amazingly forlorn look on her face, "That won't be the case anymore very shortly. Look." She raised a paw and produced a small diamond and gold pin from midair. From a star shaped cut blue diamond emerged flanking wings of gold, Charlie's princely award for thwarting the plans of a powerful demon last year. Annabel had promised to keep it safe for him until his eventual return, but it looked different now. Whereas before, the diamond had had a radiant heavenly glow, even the wings had shined, now it looked stained and hardly glowed at all; in fact, it looked like it had been left out in the rain for a few days.
"It's becoming tarnished by your actions, Charlie." Annabel explained. "If you don't polish it, it'll eventually wear away, and then you'll have nothing to protect you."
Always literal minded, Charlie reached out his paw to take the charm, "Well give it 'ere, I'll have that thing shining in a few minutes." His paw passed through charm as easily as smoke and Charlie was left looking dumbly at his pads.
"It can only be polished by good deeds and kind thoughts." Said the arch-angel. She lowered her paw and the angelic pin vanished.
"Ugh…" Charlie moaned, more wishy, washy Heavenly nonsense. "Why is this happening now, Annabel? What would happen if my pin disappeared? Don't tell me..." His jaw gaped as a brief vision appeared in Charlie's mind: a lake of lava, a sinking ship, a tooth filled maw laughing…
The pink whippet nodded sadly, "Yes Charlie, you would be exposed to that danger once again. As for why it is happening… why you're directly involved."
Charlie brought both his forepaws to his chest, "Me?! What do I have to do with any heavenly policy changes?"
"Charles, you delivered an irreplaceable celestial artifact into the hands of a powerful demon who then nearly claimed all of heaven's canine souls, including myself, for his master."
Charlie gulped, but then stuck out a claw, "Well… yeah, but then I kicked his… err… butt afterwards and saved everyone, including David and Sasha."
"Yes and everyone recognizes your accomplishments, but this also has to deal with souls like Carface Carruthers who stole the horn in the first place." Again her eyes grew a bit distant as she said, "It has been decided that this sort of thing cannot be allowed to happen again. The High angels and even the Metatron himself are busy applying more stringent requirements for canines and several other species for entering Heaven… sort of the way we handle cats."
"Cats?!" said Charlie, spitting out the word, "We aren't anything like those paw-licking, sand-scratching, stuck up, backstabbing, f˗" Charlie had a sudden coughing fit.
"I know, Charles. It's… sad, the way things have gone. But I agree that what happened last year shouldn't be allowed to happen again. We just can't let everyone be at risk… even if it means losing some souls."
The shepherd, who was always keen on reading body language, particularly that of females, said, "You don't think that this is a good idea, do you?" It was a statement, not a question.
Annabel's eyes turned back to Charlie, her unreal pink irises flashed with illumination. She nodded.
He went forward and laid his neck against her slender one, despite her incorporeal nature, in this half-dream, he could feel her as sure as the floor. Her fur was as light as air, her skin unearthly smooth; to touch her seemed to corrupt and dirty with his own imperfection, to break her delicately designed features, but it did not; she was indeed a lot stronger than she looked for all the pomp and fluff.
A diamond tear crystallized on Annabel's muzzle, "Oh, Charles, we would lose so many souls, including all of those who are special like you." She pushed the larger canine back onto his hind feet with surprising ease, "Just losing you would pain me to no end…" She dropped her eyes and… was it possible that her pink cheeks were growing just a shade more flush?
"I remember that dance we had Charles, way back when." Her laughter sounded like distant chimes, "I know you were just conning me, like you con everyone in one way or another, but still, I had never felt so, so alive again. Your passion for the crude, crass, dirty things here on earth… it was inspiring."
Charlie wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or insulted. He said, "Well, I promise you that I am not going back to… the other place." He got a shiver up his spine just thinking about it.
"Will you think about what I told you then?"
Charlie raised his paw in the air, "I promise I will definitely think about it."
"Charles, I'm serious." Said Annabel, cocking her slender head.
Charlie deliberately let his tongue loll out the side of this snout, "I am too, you can count on me, Annabel." He even threw in a few tail wags.
The arch angel smiled, "All right. By the way, I have a surprise for you."
Charlie perked his ears in honest interest.
"You'll know what it is in a few days. Until then, have a good life, Charles." After her last words, Annabel turned to face the broken window. Her wings unfolded and at their tips spread a luminescent pink sphere around the whippet's body. The glowing ball shrank, along with the whippet until only a brilliant pink mote remained. The delicate glowing spark bobbed on the air for a few moments before floating out the window…
Charlie woke up, it was like hitting the bottom of a pool after sinking for an unusually long period of time, and Charlie was extremely familiar with the sensation. He gasped, opened his eyes and started, drool still dripping from where his jowls had rested on the wooden planks, his heart raced. He rubbed his aching head in his paws for a minute or two, these "visions" always took more out of him than the time he spent sleeping recuperated.
The large black and tan dog stretched in the shadows of the loft, the sun was now high enough that the beams did not fall directly into the room. Charlie licked the fuzz off his teeth and took a last look out the window. As if to confirm that everything he had experienced was, in fact, real, the face of the pink whippet appeared in one of the larger shards at the bottom of the frame. She mutely pointed to the dingy angel pin in her paw. A phrase echoed in Charlie's mind against his will, "Have a good life, Charles… A Good life…" Charlie shook his head and jogged out of the semi-abandoned warehouse. All of a sudden he felt like he could use a good drink…