Once upon a time, there was a mountain. At the top of that mountain was a beautiful lake, with water so clear you could see every rock at its bottom reflecting the brilliant sun that always seemed to shine on it. From that lake flowed a small stream that ran down the entire mountainside into the forests below. It snaked its way along the trees and the rocks, weaving past houses and settlements and people who threw sticks into it, just to watch them get carried away by the current. It also flowed past a house with a waterwheel, and a very old dog that lived there.

This dog was very old indeed. Sonia was well past her time, most german shepherds given a life expectancy of about twelve to thirteen years. Sonia was fourteen and a half. Her owner knew she was too old to be of any use, but could not bring himself to put the dog down. Instead, he allowed her to lie next to the stream, day after day, soaking in the sun until it became night. Then she would hobble on weak bones back inside, only to collapse onto her pillow in the kitchen. Every day she would do this, and every day her condition got worse.

The deteriorating of Sonia’s leg bones was only the beginning of her problems. Her lungs and stomach felt as if they were being rearranged; her breathing was laborious, and most things she ate she threw up immediately. The top of her head hurt as well, like a hole was being drilled into it. Small bumps were forming at her rear and her back, which the doctor could only explain as malignant tumors. She had lost most of her hair, and only her graying skin could be seen underneath.

Yes, Sonia was a very old dog indeed; yet, she would not seem to give up. She continued, day after day, to lie at the stream, not moving or eating or drinking much, only to fall onto her bed after dark. Her owner would sit in his chair next to her for a while, watching her glazed eyes staring into nothing, and try to convince himself to end her misery. Yet still he held back, not completely sure why. He would always tell himself Sonia would go when she was ready, when she was done waiting. Then, he would softly pat her swollen back and head off to his own pillow.

The next day, Sonia got up again and went to the stream. She collapsed onto the ground; she felt heavier than yesterday. A painful breath blew through her nostrils. It wheezed, sounding as if her nose was also collapsing from being too heavy. She stared into the flowing water, staring longingly at it.

Another dog presently floated by her view. She barely noticed it at first, her eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement. As the second dog swam by, Sonia lifted her head up to get a better look. She realized the dog must be as old as she was, for his hair was also falling off, and his body seemed even more tumor-ridden than her own. The dog gave her a quick sideways glance, then faced ahead again, paddling persistently with the current. Sonia lifted her body off the grass and stumbled her way to the bank of the stream. She continued to watch as a third, then a fourth dog swam past. She looked nervously at the stream, her eyes wandering back and forth along the water’s edge, feebly wagging her tail for the first time in months.

Sonia’s owner came out of the house, a small bowl of ground-beef stew in his hand. He saw his dog wobbling near the bank’s edge, and he shouted to her in alarm. Sonia turned back to give him her forlorn, puppy-dog eyes, and the owner let out a short and soft sigh of defeat. He knew what she had meant to say with that look- she was done waiting.

Sonia turned back to the stream and let herself fall in. For a moment the owner tensed, praying for her to resurface. He was quickly relieved when he saw her head break the water, a comical look of surprise on her face. She turned to look at him one last time, then began to paddle after the other dogs she had seen. The owner watched until she disappeared around the bend, a faint smile on his face.

The action of swimming felt strange to Sonia. It was a kind of relaxing movement; for once, her body didn’t feel so heavy. The bones that ached so when she tried to walk seemed to not mind the paddling so much. In fact, after a few hours of paddling, they started to shift in their sockets and gave her even less discomfort. She kicked her hind legs together, and pushed her forelegs around in circles to the side.

The current carried her for hours upon hours. She never knew the stream to be so long, but she didn’t let it frighten her. Even when she began to tire and felt herself slide back under the surface, she gave in and let herself sink. Surprisingly, she found that she didn’t need to breathe as much, and continued on her way without pause. Sonia noticed curiously that almost all of her hair had fallen off; the current was washing it away from her, leaving her almost completely naked in her gray skin.

After many more hours, Sonia began to catch sights of the dogs up ahead. They didn’t look like they had before, but she could tell that they were the same ones. Their bodies seemed to be undergoing the same changes hers was. The dogs were hairless, and their paws had reshaped themselves along with the bones. After hours and hours of kicking, their hind legs had become almost one limb. Sonia noticed their tumors had grown as well, and gave thought to her own. She realized then that her tumors had become larger also, growing so slowly that she had not felt any pain. Her back was arched in a giant, misshapen form, and her rear had grown down into her legs, forming two strange lumps at the end of her paws (or paw now). It was almost amusing to discover, but at the same time it felt normal- natural. She gave it no questioning and continued following her companions, who now noticed her presence.

It was almost four days before they sighted their journeys end. The stream opened up into a wide mouth, which then connected to a huge body of water Sonia had ever seen before. She felt slightly intimidated by it, but she continued to let the current carry her with her companions. Together, they swam out of the mouth of the stream and into a strangely new kind of water. It stung for a moment, but soon soaked into their skin, making it swell firmly. Their necks expanded to become almost nonexistent, and their limbs all grew into large triangular shapes. After a few moments of discomfort, the dogs found the water much more enjoyable, and their new bodies much more pleasing. They tasted the saltiness of their new home, and began to shout underwater barks of joy. They surprised themselves when the normal ruff came out as a skipping giggle, but as each heard the happiness in it, they let it be. Together they streaked through the waters with a freedom of movement they had never experienced, and flew past all kinds of strange diamond shaped creatures that brought a new life to Sonia’s appetite. She felt so alive again; she could not resist leaping out of the water to feel herself soar through the air. That moment seemed to freeze; she felt the sun again, felt the warmth of life. She felt that strange skipping giggle leave her throat, then felt the water swallow her again- and she was content.

A fisherman looked up from his fresh catch as a dolphin jumped out of the water. It let out a happy trill before it dove back into the water, and its apparent bliss gave the man a warm smile. He turned to his german shepherd and said, “Wouldja look at that, Jade. I bet you’d like to be a dolphin, eh?” The dog gave an enthusiastic bark, and the fisherman rubbed her head with a wet hand. “Well who knows? Maybe someday you will.”