The Jewish Dog (27 page)

EPILOGUE

For a moment in the dead of the night
,
the skies of Tel Aviv were flooded by a pure light
,
and our souls mounted a lightweight cherub and flew through eighteen thousand worlds
.
Suns and comets lit our way
,
and puppy-planets greeted us with cheerful barks.

“Here they come
!
Here they come!” one of the junior angels called.

The angels aligned in two rows along the cloud-carpet that led to the throne
.
Ministering angels stood with their chins up
,
looking straight into eternity
.
A mustached angel ordered
“Wings hut!”
and everyone raised their wings in salute
.
We walked along the cloud-­carpet together
,
reviewing the sleek formation.

We stood before the throne.

The Heavenly Dog lay curled up at the feet of the Master of the Universe
.

The Master of the Universe shook Joshua's hand warmly and joked around a little in Yiddish
.

The Heavenly Dog and I sniffed each other in restraint and wagged our tails.

The Master of the Universe instructed one of His helpers to accompany Joshua to the white escalator to Paradise.

“And what about Caleb?” Joshua asked.

“Caleb?!” replied the Master of the Universe.

“The dog.”

“Ah
,
yes
,
yes
.
Of course
.
We have a special paradise for Jewish dogs
,
with endless grassy knolls and dog food like manna.”

“No
,
Sir!” Joshua said
,
and the Master of the Universe raised a puzzled eyebrow.

It seemed He was not accustomed to hearing “No.”

“Pardon my rudeness
,
just this once.”

The Master of the Universe leaned back on his throne
,
and repeated
,
“No?!”

Gabriel and Michael
,
who stood on either side of Him
,
looked angry and drew their swords.

The Master of the Universe chided them
.

The swords were returned to their sheaths.

“No
,
Sir!” Joshua said again
,
with as much uncompromising forcefulness as he had addressed the gatekeeper of the
Tekumah
ship
.
“I raised Caleb from the day he was born
.
You separated us once
,
and I swore on Your name that we would not be separated again
.
Caleb licked my skin after it was branded with a number
.
Caleb was the only spark that led me in the dark
.
We were in hell together – and together we will march into Paradise
.
There is no force in the world that can tear us apart
.
Not even You.”

The Master of the Universe said nothing.

“This is the deal,” Joshua said
,
like a real Jew who knows how to bargain with God
.
“I won't start any scandals
,
won't ask any questions like ‘How could You?' or ‘Where were You?' ‘Why did You hide Your grace?' and ‘Why did You stay silent?' – and You let me stay with Caleb
.
Well? What do You say?”

“It's not so simple,” Gabriel intervened
.
“Do not forget that the ways of the Lord are mysterious.”

Look at him
,
I thought
,
the Almighty's defense attorney.

Joshua looked straight at the Master of the Universe
,
waiting for His answer.

The Master of the Universe looked to His right and to His left
,
gauging Michael and Gabriel's reactions
.
They both nodded their heads
,
indicating that the deal seemed quite fair and sensible to them.

“
Nu
,
shoin,
”
16
God said
.
“It's late
,
and I don't feel like arguing.”

I wanted to approach Him and thank Him with a lick
,
but Joshua pulled me back and whispered that it wasn't appropriate
.
Before we turned toward the escalator
,
the Master of the Universe asked that we wait for just one moment.

“Come here
,
Caleb,” He said.

I approached Him
,
and He petted my head fondly.

“Do you remember what the Heavenly Dog said? ‘Your reward will be great!'”

“I remember,” I barked.

“Well
,
I have a little surprise for you. . . .”

The Master of the Universe snapped His fingers and Ezekiel came running.

“Do you have the portion we saved for Caleb?”

“Of course,” Ezekiel replied
.
He rushed off and returned two minutes later pushing a wheelbarrow filled with dry bones.

And Caleb saw Joshua mount the white escalator and
,
dragging the wheelbarrow behind him
,
he ascended.

About the Author

Asher Kravitz is a pilot, a former detective and crime scene investigator (CSI) in the Israeli police force, a wildlife photographer, and a lecturer in physics and mathematics at the Jerusalem College of Engineering. He is the author of seven books in Hebrew.
The Jewish Dog
, a best-selling novel in Israel, is his first work to appear in English.