Ashes to Ashes

Miles had scurried up the wall, bracing himself between two beams in the far corner of the room. Miles, a natural gymnast, could barely contain a giggle.

“Old man,” said Miles, “You look ridiculous. Collect yourself and for heaven’s sake, put your head back on.”

“Miles,” Harold said. “I thought I had squished you.”

Harold sat on the floor in a puddle of bones. His head rolled towards him and he plopped it back on with a grimace.

“I don’t think I could live with myself if I had killed you.”

“Oh bother,” said Miles, sliding down the wall like a fireman rushing down a pole. He sat on his haunches, and washed his face with his paws. “Let’s not get all sentimental, old man. And you know there’s life after killing, anyway, what.”

Miles laughed, a loud guffaw that echoed through the rustic cabin they lived in. A bird nesting in the roof flew out to see what the ruckus was all about.

             “Oh Miles, you shouldn’t laugh. It’s no fun being dead.”

“There, there, old man,” said Miles. “No worries. Would you like to work on some poetry today?”

Miles shook his head is disbelief. He seemed to have lost control of his mouth. He tried to stop the flow of words, crunching his nose and mouth closed with his right paw. Too late; Harold had heard.

“Really,” said Harold, sitting up straight on the floor.

He straightened out his head, and using his hands, pushed himself off the floor and stood.

“I thought you despised my poetry.”

“Well, no. But maybe we should dust first, eh? We don’t want you sneezing and losing your head again.”

Miles sat up on his haunches, his eyes two little black diamonds on his pack rat face. His black whiskers twitched hopefully, and his two front teeth, in need of braces, protruded at odd angles.

“No, no. I’m fine,” said Harold. “We could use the dust to write in.”

That, thought Miles, would be appropriate. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, they could write Harold’s dreadful words in the dirt. Which was exactly what they were.

“All righty then,” said Miles. “Where would you like to begin?”