Beyond the Clouds

By Christine Renee Riley

When Tipper, a chocolate Labrador, wakes up, she finds herself in a strange and marvelous place. The last thing she remembers is a man in scrubs leaning over her just before she fell asleep. And now all her pain is gone—she feels like a puppy again!

She then meets St. Bernard, who explains that he will help her transition in her new home. She meets a human little girl named Maya, and they quickly become friends. As she and Maya get to know this land beyond the clouds, Tipper encounters a horse she knew from her time on the farm and makes friends with both humans and animals alike. Together, she and Maya must learn their purpose—the assignment they will take on in their new lives. Then they will earn their wings and officially become angels.

In this novella, a dog and a little girl build a new life together in the land beyond the clouds, reminding us that our lost animals and loved ones are happy and doing great things.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Aug 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483436241

Book preview

RILEY

Copyright © 2015 Christine Renee Riley.

Edited by Justin C Riley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3625-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3624-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015912649

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/10/2015

Contents

Chapter 1   Welcome

Chapter 2   Transition

Chapter 3   The Purpose

Chapter 4   Hope Island

Chapter 5   New Home

Chapter 6   Angel Wings

Chapter 7   Tipper’s Case

Chapter 8   Maya’s Assignment

Chapter 9   The Circle of Life

Dedication

This book is for anyone who has ever lost a pet, or person that they loved dearly. Beyond the Clouds will help you find comfort knowing that they are fulfilling their purpose and are in peace!

I dedicate this book to my brother Pat; he was my rock growing up. I know he is helping many others though in life beyond the clouds!

Also, in memory of my sweet Chloe (Chocolate Labrador), truly man’s best friend. As well, many other wonderful pets lost throughout the years; Sophie (Yellow Labrador), Emma (Chocolate Labrador), Sam (Chestnut Horse), Lewie (Bay horse), Cue (Bay Horse), Valicity (Chestnut Horse), Jet (Grey Horse), and Oliver (Cat).

In memory of your treasured pet, or loved one; know that they are doing wonderful things and enjoying life beyond the clouds!

CHAPTER 1

Welcome

I shook off and looked around in amazement at the endless miles of green fields. There were beautiful green fields and blue skies, but I still couldn’t understand how I’d gotten here. Moments before I remembered the stark lights and empty room I had just been at with my master and the man dressed in blue scrubs. I remember falling asleep and when I woke up, well, I was here. I wasn’t quite sure if it was a dream or reality. Surely it had to be a dream.

I slowly put one leg in front of the other, waiting for the shooting pain to hit. Huh, no pain. Even as I walk faster, still no pain! I guess I’m like new again! I’m not exactly sure where I’m at, but I feel like a puppy again. I continued to trot around in the lush grass with an occasional leap into the air to try out these new legs. The green field was wide-open so I ran full speed ahead until I noticed a huge oak tree in the distance. Suddenly, I stopped and zeroed in on it. The oak tree in our back yard was just like that. So I quickly got up and began sprinting that direction. When I reached it I plopped down on the soft grass. Scanning the scene before me I tried to find our house, but nothing around me looked familiar. Wait is that a dog coming toward me? Oh, maybe that’s Daisy? No, it can’t be he has way too much hair and he’s huge. It’s not the neighbor dog, that one’s only a couple inches tall and would be barking by now. Who in the world is that?

The ominous dog approached me and spread out his great white wings. Ok, I don’t know any dog that has those! This is definitely someone new. So I figured I better introduce myself. Hi, my name is Tipper, what’s your name?

In a deep voice, he replied, Hello, my name is St Bernard, but everyone here calls me Bernard. I am an angel and here to help you with your transition.

To gain more clarity, I asked, Transition to what? Where am I, and where are you taking me?

I noticed, off in the distance, there were people gathering at nearby trees. It was odd; this was nothing like my family’s neighborhood. There were trees and perfectly placed flowers laid out on a wide-open canvas. This was all packaged together with perfect weather; warm and sunny with a cool breeze blowing through the air. I began running toward the people in the distance, sure that my family was there somewhere and we’d just been separated.

As I neared the group, I noticed that there were small children, grown people, cats, and other dogs. I stood at the edge of the clearing and scanned through the assortment of humans and animals, but I couldn’t see my family anywhere. Before I knew it, Bernard appeared next to me and said, Follow me, Tipper, and I will explain.

CHAPTER 2

Transition

Tipper, this is the place where you transition from your life on earth to this new life beyond the clouds. Everyone that passes through is assigned an angel, just as I have been assigned to you. We are here to help you transition to your new home, Bernard explained.

He led me to a gated area that was lined with humans, both old and young, and animals of every kind. Bernard and I stood outside the gate and observed the scene inside. While we were standing there, a little blonde-headed girl walked over. She stood quietly next to me peering through the gate and watching the movements of every human, dog, cat, goat, and bird. I noticed she looked a bit overwhelmed so I moved in close to comfort her. She reached her hand out and started running her fingers through my coat nervously. Her smile quickly disappeared, but she bent down and gave me a big hug. I wanted to help her feel more at ease, so I introduced myself. "Hello, my name is Tipper. What’s