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Description
This voice...oh this raspy voice, I know it only too well. Could it really be? It's been so long. I turn around in order to find out where this voice came from, whilst also feeling a bit excited about the thought.
I don't need to look for long, because there she is, standing in front of me, emitting some sort of a slight glow of quite mysterious appearance. She is still somewhat see-through, as one would expect. Well, then again, I am the only one who could've expected this I guess...

"Dolly," I begin break the silence which has fallen over the scene for a few moments, "You're here. You're really here!"

"Hey bro, of course I am. You didn't think I'd let you burn down some old house all on your own and miss all the fun, did ya?" She says jokingly. It's great to know that even after all these years in death, she still hasn't lost her sense of humour.

Without thinking twice, I take a step forward and engulf her into a long hug, which she happily returns. I can't help but notice some tears running down my face.

"It's wonderful to see you again sis."

"You have no idea how much I missed being able to do that! And look at you, you're all grown up! I remember still being almost at eye level with you when we last met." She says while trying to prevent from tearing up aswell.

"Also," she continues, "there are so many things I want to talk about, but I think we owe some of those present an explanation." She shifts her view over to Dorothy and Hunter, who where watching us, awfully quiet, no terrified even.

They seem to be processing what they're seeing, judging by their expressions I'd say that Hunter is taking it better than Dorothy. Her expression is beyond terrified.

"Dorothy?" I call out to her, "Are you alright?" I realise that I probably blanked them out a bit upon seeing Dolly. They obviously see her for the first time like this and it can be world-shattering, to say the least.
As I rush over to her, I notice her teary eyes.

"Dorothy, hey it's alright. Come here, I know it's a lot to take in." As I hug her, she closes her eyes and tears up. I didn't expect it to hit her like that, but then again it's not so much different from how I felt when I saw Dolly in her current state for the first time.
It seems the sighting of a ghost can really mess with your sanity, even though if this ghost is a loving family member.

She also has made it quite clear that she doesn't believe in the existence of ghosts just a few minutes ago. I do wonder what's going through her mind now and whatever it may be, I'll make sure to help her getting over it...
She's... she is completely frozen. She doesn't move a muscle...

"Shhh, it's okay Dorothy. I know this is overwhelming. Take your time." As I still keep her safe in my arms, I look over to Dolly and can tell that she feels a bit awkward about this situation.

"Give her a minute." I then tell her, to which she agrees with a silent nod of her head. This situation is very unusual for all of us and I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can. I notice Dorothy's body is shaking, her whole worldview must've been shattered to pieces upon the sight of Dolly.

"Why.... why am I seeing this?" Dorothy asks me silently with a noticeable amount of despair in her voice.

"It's alright Dorothy. She's here to help us. Come on, open your eyes, it's really her. She won't harm you, she's our sister."

"But she... she is... I mean she looks like... a gh...."

"A ghost, yes. But a different plane of existence doesn't change who she is. You remember how the two of you played together in our house in London back then, right? She took care of you so lovingly and you were having so much fun. I mean you were still very young, but surely you remember some of those days?"

"I... I do and... I miss these days very much. I miss her so much... and I never got to know what happened to her..."

"But she is here, standing right in front of us, waiting for you to accept it. Don't deny her, don't let her fade away."

Dorothy slowly begins to open her eyes and begins to wipe her tears away, as I still hold her embedded in the hug. Dolly looks back at her with a still somewhat worried expression. I know she hates seeing our youngest sister in so much fear, so she tries to calm her down a bit by putting on a little smile. She remembers that this would always calm Dorothy down when she was still a little puppy.
Dorothy takes all of her courage and slowly releases herself from my hug and takes a step forward in Dolly's direction, who's still sitting there, waiting for what will happen next. She takes a look at her and I can tell that she is still quite insecure. Again, I look over to Hunter for a brief moment just to make sure he is still alright as he looks back at me a bit worried. He must have a lot of questions aswell, but he seems to understand that it is our job to stand by for now and let this important moment of theirs unfold.
Suddenly, Dolly takes a step forward aswell and reaches out a paw to Dorothy.

"Hey Dorothy. It's really me, you can trust me." She says smiling, while also becoming quite teary eyed.

Although still hesitant, Dorothy slowly lifts her arm and finally takes a hold of Dolly's paw. It seems as if she's slowly accepting it. They both look at each other with tears in their eyes. Dorothy's expression is still filled with sorrow and disbelief. She closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh.

"I... I accept it. I accept the existence of ghosts and the presence of my long deceased, oldest sister... you better still be there when I open my eyes again." Dolly snorts, "You betcha." she remarks as Dorothy opens her eyes again and looks at her sister. "Dolly... I am so sorry." She then continues, "I... I didn't have the intention to hurt your feelings with my reaction, but... it's just..."

"Don't stress it, it's fine. Take your time. Dylan needed a while when I first came to visit him too."

Dorothy then turns her head towards me.

"So you... you knew about this? You've seen each other before? I mean, after you became... uh, you know..."

"Yes, it's a long time ago. I came to see him, because..." I was hoping the real reason why she visited me back then wouldn't come up in this conversation, as I want to spare Dorothy from yet another sad story... I'm also a bit ashamed by my foolish way of thinking I would have nothing to live for back then.
However, Dolly seems to notice my worried stare as she glances over to me for a moment.

"Well you know, I had to help our big bro through some rough times." She'd then answer, obviously catching my drift, which I'm very thankful for.

"My... my whole world... it's completely upside down. You're here, but you're... I mean. I'm still processing. Look at you, you look almost exactly like I remember you, just more... see-through."

"Heh, yeah I heard that before." Dolly says frolicking. "Look at you too. You've grown so much. I'm never gonna get used to this.
Also, it seems you have brought backup." Dolly says while looking at Hunter, who was still very quiet.

"Oh, yeah. He's with me." Dorothy then adds.

"Yeah, I overheard your conversation from earlier. Don't hold it against me, but I'm gonna need a while to get used to this thought now."

"That's fine and completely understandable." Hunter reassures her, "So do I, in fact."

"However, to be fair you did great with saving Dorothy and I also need to give you credits for it. Tthank you for saving her and looking after her."

"It was my honour." Hunter said humbly.

"So," He continues, "did I get that right, that we're going to burn this house down?"

"Well, I was going to tell you about the idea." I say to him in response.

"Oh sorry Dylan, did I spoil the big reveal of your plan?" Dolly remarks cheekily.

"Wait, so is that what you're carrying around in those bags? I've been meaning to ask you about that earlier." Dorothy says while shifting her attention to the bags I'm carrying.

"Yes, a few bottles of ethanol and a lighter, not in the same bag obviously, safety comes first after all."

"Wo-ow, looks like captain safety-pants eventually became quite a rad dog, huh?" Dolly is noticeably trying to keep this conversation at a lighter tone with her remarks.

"But what does burning down this house has to do with... oh." It seems to slowly dawn on Dorothy what I have in mind. "So you theorised before, that our family is haunting this house as... ghosts. And now... to free them, we'll burn the house down?"

"Partially yes, but I'm actually not that interested in the house itself, but rather in those artifacts which may keep them here. These most likely being the coats that Cruella DeVil made out of their fur."

"Oh my dog... I didn't even think about that. So we are actually going in there to search for what is basically the remains of our family?" Dorothy asks.

"...

Yes."

Dorothy wouldn't answer that. She obviously doesn't like the idea. Instead she remains silent for a few moments until she shifts her attention over to Dolly.

"Dolly?"

"Yes?"

"Uhh.... sorry, it's still so utterly surreal being able to talk to you just like that, but I do wonder... you see, before we go in there... I'd like to..." Dorothy was very hesistant and Dolly noticed it. I'm sure Dolly wanted to take as much weight off her soul as she could.

"What is it? Come on, you can ask me anything." She reassures her.

"Well, I do wonder... what is your story then? How did you... well, die?" Upon hearing this I remember I still haven't told her and Hunter the story of Dolly, although I intented to.

"Oh!", I suddenly say, "Right, I was going to tell you the story wasn't I?" I say as Dolly steps in,

"I think I should tell her. She asked me after all. You told this story often enough already and that's really enough for one dog's life." She was seemingly referring to me telling her story to Summer back then and maybe also reliving it in my mind for countless days and nights throughout my entire life.

"Of course, I'm sorry. Go ahead." I say and step back a bit to the place where Hunter was sitting down by now, closely listening to what will follow now. I must admit, that I'm not looking forward to reliving this day yet again, but I haven't heard it from Dolly's point of view aswell, so I sit down... somewhat next to Hunter and listen to what she has to say.

"Right," Dolly begins and everyone's listening. She takes a second to collect herself and then sighs. "I'm not sure if I remember all of what happened, it's been quite a while by now. My memory may have become fuzzy over time. I remember roughly what happened before.
Dylan and me were trying to save the puppies from being taken away in this container. They locked them in there after they resurfaced from this tunnel, which was supposed to be our escape. We made a leap for the container when it was about to take off with the helicopter and when it did, I could barely clinge onto this metal edge. That was about when I realised that Dylan didn't make the jump and was
on the ground, chasing us together with Pearl.

I remember trying to hold on tight as best as I could, but it wasn't enough.I lost my grip and fell....
... it felt like I was falling for minutes and all I could see was the blinding light of the helicopter which would take our family away. I remember hearing screams... both Dylan's and mine... I would've never expected it to end so soon and not like this, but here I was, taking my last breath.
It became very weird from this point on, I remember that I felt hitting the ground, but only for a split second and before you ask, yes it did hurt. For that split second I felt what was probably my spine and neck breaking into a billion pieces and it was a whole new dimension of pain, but it stopped immediately after that... then I somehow continued falling into... darkness. It gets very fuzzy from this point on, I don't recall much of it. Only that, somehow I was back on the street at some point, standing next to Dylan, crying, completely in despair and... myself, held tight by him. It was like a still imagine, nothing was moving and I felt... light... I mean lightweight... ugh, I have no better word to describe it.
I was standing on the street, but I couldn't feel the street underneath my paws. When I looked around I saw the helicopter with the container high above and also Pearl, who was standing not far from where the scene took place. They too, weren't moving.

At this point I... I hadn't realised what's happened yet... but it soon dawned on me. I didn't feel the pain anymore that felt for a split second after falling "out of my body" or something. I don't know, I can't explain it any better.

I felt... no pain at all. Well, none of mine at least...

I could feel Dylan's pain and his despair and I couldn't do anything about it, I couldn't interact with him in any way and it took months probably, before I finally could do so. Over this time, I felt his grief and pain growing bigger each second. I HAD to find a way to interact with him. It was my purpose. There was no way I was going off to "rest", or whatever it is dogs that have died usually do, just like that. I failed him so often already, so I was obliged to help him this time and I didn't care if I was dead or not."

Hearing this story from her point of view really is both fascinating and haunting at the same time and judging by their expressions, Hunter and Dorothy are still processing most of it. However, there is a small detail of this story that I disagree with and that needs addressing.

"Dolly," I begin, "What do you mean with "you failed me so often already"?"

She looks at me and I can tell that she feels a bit uncomfortable. "Well, you know... all these pranks, or these times where you had to take the blame for something stupid I did... and, believe it or not, but I never forgot those moments. I did plan to redeem myself for what I did one day, but I just never thought that something like this would happen before I could get to it..."

"Oh come on Sis, are you really still bothered by this? We were both still puppies back then and although I was cross sometimes, I never would've held this against you. I know it was mostly all in good fun and even when it went a bit too far sometimes, you did realise it and made up for it.
There is no redemption needed for you, especially after... well you know, back then. You're all redeemed in my book."

"Thank you bro. I've been tortured by this thought for years and it bothered me all the time. You have no idea how much this means to me. You're really the best brother I could've wished for."

I smile at her reassuringly to let her know that she finally can put this burden of her past to rest.

"Well then. Dorothy? Are you okay?" Dolly asks her, as she didn't say anything since hearing her story.

"Yes... yes I'll be fine, I'm just still taking in what I heard just a minute ago, because you... it's a lot to take in...

And it's so heartbreaking, I can't put into words..." Dorothy moves closer to Dolly, slowly moving her paw onto her cheek.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." She quietly says while shedding a tear.

Dolly smiles at her, takes her paw and moves it down, "Don't cry for me, it has happened long ago and we can't change it anymore. I know I'm one to talk, seeing as both Dylan and me have never really moved on from this, but still, against all odds, I'm here right? We should focus on what we're here to do."

"Right," Dorothy adds with a bit of a stuttering voice, "I just want to say one more thing. For me, you two are the essence of defying all odds and have always been. I was so happy to have you two as my big sister and big brother and I wish our happy days in London would've lasted longer. You two had almost no things in common, no common interests and usually different opinions on things, resulting in numerous arguments and disagreements, but it still worked. You could still enjoy each others company and when you decided to work together and put your little sibling rivalries aside, you were able to achieve anything and just the fact that both of you are here today with me only proves my point. You Dylan, you went to space and became the first dog on Mars! What an extraordinary puppyhood dream, which seemed so far out of reach, but you achieved it even with the loss of our family, against all odds.
And Dolly, much like Dylan, you were fantastic at the things you enjoyed and incredibly skillful. You never got the chance to prove yourself in your life, but now you do. Somehow, you found your way back here, this lost, poor little soul found its way back home again, against all odds. To me, the fact that even after your death, you're now here with us proves the unbreakable bond that your souls share with each other.
I was and still am so happy to be able to call you my big sister and my big brother. Please believe me when I say, I am so, so unbelievably proud of you two."

"Oh Dorothy..." I say, while having tears in my eyes. I can tell by looking at her, that Dolly feels the same way.

"Thank you so much." Dolly and me say almost simultaneously, as we engulf her into a group hug.

"Alright," Dorothy then begins "should we... get started then?"

"Yes, I think it's time." I say as I turn around to face the old, wooden door of the manor.

"Are we all ready to go in there?" I ask them.

"Sure am bro! Let's do some ghost hunting!" Dolly remarks jokingly.

"I am ready. I really am." Dorothy adds.

"Hunter? What about you? Are you ready to come with us?" I ask him.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright, let's do this then."

_____________________________________________

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You have no idea how glad I am to finally be able to upload this thing, it has caused me so much trouble. I've completely rewritten and redrawn this thing about three times, but I think I'm finally happy with how it turned out in the end. Hope you enjoy it aswell!

"101 Dalmatian Street" is © by Passion Animation Studios, Atomic Cartoons & Disney.

Description
This voice...oh this raspy voice, I know it only too well. Could it really be? It's been so long. I turn around in order to find out where this voice came from, whilst also feeling a bit excited about the thought.
I don't need to look for long, because there she is, standing in front of me, emitting some sort of a slight glow of quite mysterious appearance. She is still somewhat see-through, as one would expect. Well, then again, I am the only one who could've expected this I guess...

"Dolly," I begin break the silence which has fallen over the scene for a few moments, "You're here. You're really here!"

"Hey bro, of course I am. You didn't think I'd let you burn down some old house all on your own and miss all the fun, did ya?" She says jokingly. It's great to know that even after all these years in death, she still hasn't lost her sense of humour.

Without thinking twice, I take a step forward and engulf her into a long hug, which she happily returns. I can't help but notice some tears running down my face.

"It's wonderful to see you again sis."

"You have no idea how much I missed being able to do that! And look at you, you're all grown up! I remember still being almost at eye level with you when we last met." She says while trying to prevent from tearing up aswell.

"Also," she continues, "there are so many things I want to talk about, but I think we owe some of those present an explanation." She shifts her view over to Dorothy and Hunter, who where watching us, awfully quiet, no terrified even.

They seem to be processing what they're seeing, judging by their expressions I'd say that Hunter is taking it better than Dorothy. Her expression is beyond terrified.

"Dorothy?" I call out to her, "Are you alright?" I realise that I probably blanked them out a bit upon seeing Dolly. They obviously see her for the first time like this and it can be world-shattering, to say the least.
As I rush over to her, I notice her teary eyes.

"Dorothy, hey it's alright. Come here, I know it's a lot to take in." As I hug her, she closes her eyes and tears up. I didn't expect it to hit her like that, but then again it's not so much different from how I felt when I saw Dolly in her current state for the first time.
It seems the sighting of a ghost can really mess with your sanity, even though if this ghost is a loving family member.

She also has made it quite clear that she doesn't believe in the existence of ghosts just a few minutes ago. I do wonder what's going through her mind now and whatever it may be, I'll make sure to help her getting over it...
She's... she is completely frozen. She doesn't move a muscle...

"Shhh, it's okay Dorothy. I know this is overwhelming. Take your time." As I still keep her safe in my arms, I look over to Dolly and can tell that she feels a bit awkward about this situation.

"Give her a minute." I then tell her, to which she agrees with a silent nod of her head. This situation is very unusual for all of us and I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can. I notice Dorothy's body is shaking, her whole worldview must've been shattered to pieces upon the sight of Dolly.

"Why.... why am I seeing this?" Dorothy asks me silently with a noticeable amount of despair in her voice.

"It's alright Dorothy. She's here to help us. Come on, open your eyes, it's really her. She won't harm you, she's our sister."

"But she... she is... I mean she looks like... a gh...."

"A ghost, yes. But a different plane of existence doesn't change who she is. You remember how the two of you played together in our house in London back then, right? She took care of you so lovingly and you were having so much fun. I mean you were still very young, but surely you remember some of those days?"

"I... I do and... I miss these days very much. I miss her so much... and I never got to know what happened to her..."

"But she is here, standing right in front of us, waiting for you to accept it. Don't deny her, don't let her fade away."

Dorothy slowly begins to open her eyes and begins to wipe her tears away, as I still hold her embedded in the hug. Dolly looks back at her with a still somewhat worried expression. I know she hates seeing our youngest sister in so much fear, so she tries to calm her down a bit by putting on a little smile. She remembers that this would always calm Dorothy down when she was still a little puppy.
Dorothy takes all of her courage and slowly releases herself from my hug and takes a step forward in Dolly's direction, who's still sitting there, waiting for what will happen next. She takes a look at her and I can tell that she is still quite insecure. Again, I look over to Hunter for a brief moment just to make sure he is still alright as he looks back at me a bit worried. He must have a lot of questions aswell, but he seems to understand that it is our job to stand by for now and let this important moment of theirs unfold.
Suddenly, Dolly takes a step forward aswell and reaches out a paw to Dorothy.

"Hey Dorothy. It's really me, you can trust me." She says smiling, while also becoming quite teary eyed.

Although still hesitant, Dorothy slowly lifts her arm and finally takes a hold of Dolly's paw. It seems as if she's slowly accepting it. They both look at each other with tears in their eyes. Dorothy's expression is still filled with sorrow and disbelief. She closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh.

"I... I accept it. I accept the existence of ghosts and the presence of my long deceased, oldest sister... you better still be there when I open my eyes again." Dolly snorts, "You betcha." she remarks as Dorothy opens her eyes again and looks at her sister. "Dolly... I am so sorry." She then continues, "I... I didn't have the intention to hurt your feelings with my reaction, but... it's just..."

"Don't stress it, it's fine. Take your time. Dylan needed a while when I first came to visit him too."

Dorothy then turns her head towards me.

"So you... you knew about this? You've seen each other before? I mean, after you became... uh, you know..."

"Yes, it's a long time ago. I came to see him, because..." I was hoping the real reason why she visited me back then wouldn't come up in this conversation, as I want to spare Dorothy from yet another sad story... I'm also a bit ashamed by my foolish way of thinking I would have nothing to live for back then.
However, Dolly seems to notice my worried stare as she glances over to me for a moment.

"Well you know, I had to help our big bro through some rough times." She'd then answer, obviously catching my drift, which I'm very thankful for.

"My... my whole world... it's completely upside down. You're here, but you're... I mean. I'm still processing. Look at you, you look almost exactly like I remember you, just more... see-through."

"Heh, yeah I heard that before." Dolly says frolicking. "Look at you too. You've grown so much. I'm never gonna get used to this.
Also, it seems you have brought backup." Dolly says while looking at Hunter, who was still very quiet.

"Oh, yeah. He's with me." Dorothy then adds.

"Yeah, I overheard your conversation from earlier. Don't hold it against me, but I'm gonna need a while to get used to this thought now."

"That's fine and completely understandable." Hunter reassures her, "So do I, in fact."

"However, to be fair you did great with saving Dorothy and I also need to give you credits for it. Tthank you for saving her and looking after her."

"It was my honour." Hunter said humbly.

"So," He continues, "did I get that right, that we're going to burn this house down?"

"Well, I was going to tell you about the idea." I say to him in response.

"Oh sorry Dylan, did I spoil the big reveal of your plan?" Dolly remarks cheekily.

"Wait, so is that what you're carrying around in those bags? I've been meaning to ask you about that earlier." Dorothy says while shifting her attention to the bags I'm carrying.

"Yes, a few bottles of ethanol and a lighter, not in the same bag obviously, safety comes first after all."

"Wo-ow, looks like captain safety-pants eventually became quite a rad dog, huh?" Dolly is noticeably trying to keep this conversation at a lighter tone with her remarks.

"But what does burning down this house has to do with... oh." It seems to slowly dawn on Dorothy what I have in mind. "So you theorised before, that our family is haunting this house as... ghosts. And now... to free them, we'll burn the house down?"

"Partially yes, but I'm actually not that interested in the house itself, but rather in those artifacts which may keep them here. These most likely being the coats that Cruella DeVil made out of their fur."

"Oh my dog... I didn't even think about that. So we are actually going in there to search for what is basically the remains of our family?" Dorothy asks.

"...

Yes."

Dorothy wouldn't answer that. She obviously doesn't like the idea. Instead she remains silent for a few moments until she shifts her attention over to Dolly.

"Dolly?"

"Yes?"

"Uhh.... sorry, it's still so utterly surreal being able to talk to you just like that, but I do wonder... you see, before we go in there... I'd like to..." Dorothy was very hesistant and Dolly noticed it. I'm sure Dolly wanted to take as much weight off her soul as she could.

"What is it? Come on, you can ask me anything." She reassures her.

"Well, I do wonder... what is your story then? How did you... well, die?" Upon hearing this I remember I still haven't told her and Hunter the story of Dolly, although I intented to.

"Oh!", I suddenly say, "Right, I was going to tell you the story wasn't I?" I say as Dolly steps in,

"I think I should tell her. She asked me after all. You told this story often enough already and that's really enough for one dog's life." She was seemingly referring to me telling her story to Summer back then and maybe also reliving it in my mind for countless days and nights throughout my entire life.

"Of course, I'm sorry. Go ahead." I say and step back a bit to the place where Hunter was sitting down by now, closely listening to what will follow now. I must admit, that I'm not looking forward to reliving this day yet again, but I haven't heard it from Dolly's point of view aswell, so I sit down... somewhat next to Hunter and listen to what she has to say.

"Right," Dolly begins and everyone's listening. She takes a second to collect herself and then sighs. "I'm not sure if I remember all of what happened, it's been quite a while by now. My memory may have become fuzzy over time. I remember roughly what happened before.
Dylan and me were trying to save the puppies from being taken away in this container. They locked them in there after they resurfaced from this tunnel, which was supposed to be our escape. We made a leap for the container when it was about to take off with the helicopter and when it did, I could barely clinge onto this metal edge. That was about when I realised that Dylan didn't make the jump and was
on the ground, chasing us together with Pearl.

I remember trying to hold on tight as best as I could, but it wasn't enough.I lost my grip and fell....
... it felt like I was falling for minutes and all I could see was the blinding light of the helicopter which would take our family away. I remember hearing screams... both Dylan's and mine... I would've never expected it to end so soon and not like this, but here I was, taking my last breath.
It became very weird from this point on, I remember that I felt hitting the ground, but only for a split second and before you ask, yes it did hurt. For that split second I felt what was probably my spine and neck breaking into a billion pieces and it was a whole new dimension of pain, but it stopped immediately after that... then I somehow continued falling into... darkness. It gets very fuzzy from this point on, I don't recall much of it. Only that, somehow I was back on the street at some point, standing next to Dylan, crying, completely in despair and... myself, held tight by him. It was like a still imagine, nothing was moving and I felt... light... I mean lightweight... ugh, I have no better word to describe it.
I was standing on the street, but I couldn't feel the street underneath my paws. When I looked around I saw the helicopter with the container high above and also Pearl, who was standing not far from where the scene took place. They too, weren't moving.

At this point I... I hadn't realised what's happened yet... but it soon dawned on me. I didn't feel the pain anymore that felt for a split second after falling "out of my body" or something. I don't know, I can't explain it any better.

I felt... no pain at all. Well, none of mine at least...

I could feel Dylan's pain and his despair and I couldn't do anything about it, I couldn't interact with him in any way and it took months probably, before I finally could do so. Over this time, I felt his grief and pain growing bigger each second. I HAD to find a way to interact with him. It was my purpose. There was no way I was going off to "rest", or whatever it is dogs that have died usually do, just like that. I failed him so often already, so I was obliged to help him this time and I didn't care if I was dead or not."

Hearing this story from her point of view really is both fascinating and haunting at the same time and judging by their expressions, Hunter and Dorothy are still processing most of it. However, there is a small detail of this story that I disagree with and that needs addressing.

"Dolly," I begin, "What do you mean with "you failed me so often already"?"

She looks at me and I can tell that she feels a bit uncomfortable. "Well, you know... all these pranks, or these times where you had to take the blame for something stupid I did... and, believe it or not, but I never forgot those moments. I did plan to redeem myself for what I did one day, but I just never thought that something like this would happen before I could get to it..."

"Oh come on Sis, are you really still bothered by this? We were both still puppies back then and although I was cross sometimes, I never would've held this against you. I know it was mostly all in good fun and even when it went a bit too far sometimes, you did realise it and made up for it.
There is no redemption needed for you, especially after... well you know, back then. You're all redeemed in my book."

"Thank you bro. I've been tortured by this thought for years and it bothered me all the time. You have no idea how much this means to me. You're really the best brother I could've wished for."

I smile at her reassuringly to let her know that she finally can put this burden of her past to rest.

"Well then. Dorothy? Are you okay?" Dolly asks her, as she didn't say anything since hearing her story.

"Yes... yes I'll be fine, I'm just still taking in what I heard just a minute ago, because you... it's a lot to take in...

And it's so heartbreaking, I can't put into words..." Dorothy moves closer to Dolly, slowly moving her paw onto her cheek.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." She quietly says while shedding a tear.

Dolly smiles at her, takes her paw and moves it down, "Don't cry for me, it has happened long ago and we can't change it anymore. I know I'm one to talk, seeing as both Dylan and me have never really moved on from this, but still, against all odds, I'm here right? We should focus on what we're here to do."

"Right," Dorothy adds with a bit of a stuttering voice, "I just want to say one more thing. For me, you two are the essence of defying all odds and have always been. I was so happy to have you two as my big sister and big brother and I wish our happy days in London would've lasted longer. You two had almost no things in common, no common interests and usually different opinions on things, resulting in numerous arguments and disagreements, but it still worked. You could still enjoy each others company and when you decided to work together and put your little sibling rivalries aside, you were able to achieve anything and just the fact that both of you are here today with me only proves my point. You Dylan, you went to space and became the first dog on Mars! What an extraordinary puppyhood dream, which seemed so far out of reach, but you achieved it even with the loss of our family, against all odds.
And Dolly, much like Dylan, you were fantastic at the things you enjoyed and incredibly skillful. You never got the chance to prove yourself in your life, but now you do. Somehow, you found your way back here, this lost, poor little soul found its way back home again, against all odds. To me, the fact that even after your death, you're now here with us proves the unbreakable bond that your souls share with each other.
I was and still am so happy to be able to call you my big sister and my big brother. Please believe me when I say, I am so, so unbelievably proud of you two."

"Oh Dorothy..." I say, while having tears in my eyes. I can tell by looking at her, that Dolly feels the same way.

"Thank you so much." Dolly and me say almost simultaneously, as we engulf her into a group hug.

"Alright," Dorothy then begins "should we... get started then?"

"Yes, I think it's time." I say as I turn around to face the old, wooden door of the manor.

"Are we all ready to go in there?" I ask them.

"Sure am bro! Let's do some ghost hunting!" Dolly remarks jokingly.

"I am ready. I really am." Dorothy adds.

"Hunter? What about you? Are you ready to come with us?" I ask him.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright, let's do this then."

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You have no idea how glad I am to finally be able to upload this thing, it has caused me so much trouble. I've completely rewritten and redrawn this thing about three times, but I think I'm finally happy with how it turned out in the end. Hope you enjoy it aswell!

"101 Dalmatian Street" is © by Passion Animation Studios, Atomic Cartoons & Disney.