Week 7 Storytelling: All Dogs Go to Heaven

Up...
       Up...
              And away they go!

Carl Fredricksen ascended into the skies in his million-balloon cottage. His destination was Paradise Falls where he would be reunited with his only heaven, his late wife Ellie. He endured a long journey of enemies and storms that slowed him down, but he was determine to reach his heaven. Along his journey, he encountered a friendly dog named Dug. Although Carl wasn't the biggest fan of Dug, he decided that some company wouldn't delay his travels. The cottage took quite the beating from the long distance. Most of the balloons have either popped or been deflated, but Carl pressed on. Eventually the house crashed into the base of Paradise Falls, leaving Carl and Dug to travel to the peak on foot. Hours passed. When Carl wanted to quit, it was Dug who tugged on Carl's shirt as a reminder to keep moving forward. Right when Carl was on the verge of collapsing, Dug barked! They could see the peak! Carl and Dug rushed to the peak with rejuvenated energy, and alas, they were on top of Paradise Falls. The view was absolutely magnificent. She would have loved this thought Carl as he took out an old photo of him and Ellie. His eyes were becoming misty at the thought of her.

Suddenly, the clouds opened up and an angel flew down to Carl. The angel congratulated Carl on his long journey to Paradise Falls. The winged creature explained that the fulfillment of Carl's promise to Ellie granted him his place in heaven with his wife. Carl was absolutely ecstatic! After so many years of solitude, he could finally reunite with his best friend and one true love! Carl hugged the angel and hollered to Dug to join him! Right as Carl was about to step onto the stairway to heaven, the angel stopped him. Apparently no dogs were allowed in heaven. Carl couldn't believe it. How could he possibly abandon his loyal companion that guided him on his journey? Then again, he could never pass up the opportunity to see Ellie again...The elderly man looked at Dug with much heartache. The choice was clear: give up Ellie or give up Dug. Carl felt his heart being broken into two halves. Dug, clueless of the situation, wagged his tail and circled around Carl like a buzzing bee. The angel demanded Carl to make a decision, and quickly, because the stairway to heaven was closing. With a heavy heart, Carl knelt on one knee and gave Dug a tight squeeze while Dug licked Carl's face and nuzzled his muzzle into his chest. Carl stepped onto the stairway and noticed Dug following him. He commanded his furry companion to stay. Being the loyal dog he was, Dug obediently obeyed Carl and stayed in place. The old man looked back on Dug and saw his friend still sitting in place with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. Within seconds, Carl and the angel disappeared with the staircase. Like he always wanted, Carl finally made it to heaven.

Dug stopped wagging his tail once Carl disappeared. He looked around and saw no one. He looked up at the sky looking for his human, but nothing. So Dug did what any faithful dog did, he laid on top of Paradise Falls and waited for Carl's return.

Dug waiting for Carl. Source.

Author's Note: In the original story, Yudhishthira and the other Pandavas traveled up the Himalayas to reach heaven. Along the way, a dog started to follow them to the peak. One by one, the Pandavas began to die until it was just Yudhishthira and the dog. When they made it to the peak, Indra allowed Yudhishthira to travel to heaven but denied the dog. Yudhishthira refused to abandon the dog, although Indra pleaded Yudhishthira to come to heaven. It turned out that the dog was actually a reincarnation of Dharma, Yudhishthira's father. Because Yudhishthira never abandoned the dog, he passed his test and made his way to heaven.
       The story about Yudhishthira and the dog reminded me of the movie Up. So I retold the story using Up characters. From the movie, Carl traveled to Paradise Falls to fulfill his promise to Ellie that they would travel there one day. Since Ellie passed away, I made her his symbol of heaven. Carl made it to Paradise Falls and met Dug. I decided to twist the story a bit and had Carl travel to heaven without Dug. I feel like Carl would have done the impossible to see Ellie (like attach balloons to a house and fly to a waterfall), so I made his choose heaven over the dog. I often hear stories about dogs who wait for their master's return until the day the die which was Dug's fate in the story.

Bibliography: Myths of Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).