From dust, to dust

—Another long hike on Lehigh Valley RailTrail in honor of my recently deceased dog.
“Hello Killian,” I always say as I stop at the mile-marker where me and Killian’s previous owner dispersed the ashes.
“From dust, to dust,” I always say.
“Wildest, craziest, neatest Irish-Setter I ever had,” and I start crying.
Why-oh-why did this dog mean so much to me? Killian was extraordinary.
A tall blond girl jogged past as I walked in. Her dog was running with her — a large black poodle.
I passed her again as she jogged back.
“Keep doing this as long as you can,” I said; “and I just lost my dog.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Who knows how many times that dog and I walked this trail? He barked the whole way here — he knew where he was going, and I’m six-to-eight miles away.”
“What breed?” she asked.
“Irish-Setter,” I said.
“How old was he?”
“Age-11, and I thought he was good for 15-or-16. Spunkiest, healthiest dog I ever had.
His ashes are at that mile-marker so I’d know where I put ‘em.
That marker is in the ‘Cathedral-of-Trees,’ were he’d bark into the woods. I never saw anything, but ‘CRITTERS BEWARE!’”
“Are you gonna get another?” she asked.
“Probably,” I said.
“But I'll never have another Killian. He was extraordinary.”
“I wish they’d last until 40 or so,” she said.

• September 14th is one month since I put Killian down: August 14th, 2020.
• The “Cathedral-of-Trees” is where the old railroad-grade passed through woods, which overhung the railroad. It was Lehigh Valley Railroad’s old extension to Buffalo, abandoned a few years ago.