"Ghosts don't haunt us. That's not how it works. They are present among us because we won't let go of them."

I could think of no truer words. After all, I should know. I was one of those people who feared to let go. And so, my faithful companion, Angelo, would forever be trapped in Limbo.

I would always notice small things, all of them seeming like hallucinations at first, from the sound of his paws hitting the pavement as he walked at my side through the city, or the feeling of him pressed against my legs as I lay in my tent. Or when his bark would ring through my ears at the slightest hint of danger.

But, I could always see him from the corner of my eyes, the creme colored Akita seeming just as he was in life. However, the slightest hint of red which marred his coat always brought the sound of the bullet that had taken him from me. Tears always seemed to gather in my eyes, blurring my vision. My mind and heart never allowed me to truly face him.

It probably would have been best to let him go, but I never could.