10Alright now readers, this is another one-shot story that I decided to make for the Loud House.
Unlike my other stories that I did for this series, this one is going to be more of a tragedy, which means there will be plenty of sad and depressing moments throughout this story.
Now I think you might like this story, considering that it's different from the typical 'Lincoln is dead' stories that are common. This is something that hasn't been done before, at least from what I know.
There's also a reason why I'm creating this kind of story, but I'm going to reveal it to all of you once the story is over. For now, just sit back and enjoy this tragic story.
Disclaimers: All the rights to the Loud House belong to Nickelodeon, and everything else that's referenced belongs to their rightful owners.
AT THE LOUD HOUSE – IN ROYAL WOODS, MI:
It was a dark and gloomy day at the Loud House. This was something that wasn't usual for a normally loud house. But there was a really good reason as to why it felt like this.
In the backyard, the Loud family and Clyde were dressed entirely in black. This also wasn't typical for the Louds, except for Lucy, since she always wears black. Lucy was dressed like an undertaker as they were all getting ready for a funeral. The funeral, in particular, was made specifically for Cliff; their black cat who had sadly passed away recently.
Believe it or not, the reason Cliff had died was that several months ago, he was diagnosed with a severe case of lung infection, or as they also call it; upper respiratory infection. This combined with Cliff having arthritis pain in his legs was what led to the cat's declining health. The signs of this were evident when Cliff had started arching his back every time he started sneezing and coughing, and he started panting afterwards. His health got worse when he had been losing weight, had a loss in appetite, had discharges in his eyes and his nose that needed to be cleaned out every so often, he couldn't jump onto furniture along with having to walk slowly due to the arthritis pain, and he had problems with eating his food since his teeth were hurting and his gums were swelling up. As such, they had to start blending Cliff's cat food in a blender for him to eat without struggling to chew it. It didn't do much for the black cat though.
The Loud parents found out about this one day when they brought him to the vet after he had a coughing fit, followed by him panting heavily. This was instantly followed by him collapsing onto the floor. Not only did they learn all of this, but they were told that he could be given an operation, but it wasn't possible due to Cliff's old age. Because of this, they knew that he was going to die eventually, and they had to break the news to their children.
Needless to say, the kids took it hard and they were bummed out by it. Most of the siblings were downhearted by this, as they all cared for Cliff. It was so bad that Luan couldn't even crack any jokes about it since there was nothing funny about it. Speaking of which, Luan knew that today, of all days, would be the worst possible time to crack jokes or puns, seeing that this was a serious day. So she kept her mouth shut and put a lid on the jokes for this occasion.
Clyde had invited himself over to the Louds' residence after Lincoln told him the sad news about Cliff passing away from the infection. This news shocked Clyde, who not only felt sorrow for his best bud. He also knew exactly how he'd feel if either one of his cats were to pass away from a similar instance. As such, he asked if he could invite himself to their funeral, to which Lincoln appreciated it and gave him the green light. The rest of the family was on board with his presence too, seeing that they were all on good terms with him, and they also knew that he meant well.
Lori had tried to invite Bobby over with Ronnie Anne so they could be a part of the funeral. They knew that both of them and their mother lived with the Casagrandes in Great Lake City one state over after they had moved out of Royal Woods months ago, but they wanted them to come anyway. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to attend, since Bobby got himself all tied up with the family's' bodega, while Ronnie Anne had her own business to attend, which isn't helped that Bobby would have to be her ride anyway. They did, however, offer their condolences for the Loud family for the loss of their cat.
Leni was also feeling very distraught about all of this. Truth be told, she always had a close relationship with Cliff, seeing that he always gave her good company, enjoyed jumping on her lap to purr up against her stomach, and she even learned how to speak cat from Cliff when he blinked at her. While she didn't quite get what a lung infection was or how it affects the lungs, she knew that when someone dies, you never get to see them again, and that's exactly what happened with Cliff. Because she was close to Cliff, she went out of her way to get Cliff a casket for him; one that she purchased from one of the stores at the mall. She did this because Cliff deserves the best treatment that a girl has to offer him, and she felt that he should be laid to rest in a fabulous looking casket.
However, none of them could compare to how upset Lana was upon learning that Cliff was going to die. While she didn't understand anything about lung infection, as she's only 6, she did understand that once someone dies, they are gone forever and you'll never get to see them again. As soon as the parents told Lana about Cliff's grim fate, to say that she was downright devastated would have been an understatement. While she wasn't as close to Cliff as she was to Charles, Lana still loved Cliff and he was not only their cat and their pet; he was family. Up until his death, Lana spent every SINGLE DAY with the black cat, giving him all the love and support he needs as she tried everything she could to save his life, with the help of her parents who gave him medicine to decrease the coughing fits, anti-biotics for his mouth, and the likes. But alas, it was no use. They couldn't save him. Even so, the tomboy continued to be there to help the cat out when he was having trouble. She was always there for him. She even took photos of herself and Cliff so she can always remember him.
Then to put the cherry on top of the sundae, it was Lana who wanted this funeral to be held for Cliff. With some help from Lucy, who made all the plans and arrangements for it, the funeral was made possible for the whole family.
Something else that stood out with this funeral was how Walt the canary and Geo the hamster were attending the funeral. Both of them were paying their respect and honor for their second fallen animal comrade who's lived in the house for years.
Charles; the family dog, had passed away several months before Cliff's death, let alone ahead of the reveal that Cliff had an upper respiratory infection in his lungs. It turns out that Charles was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. How he got cancer was a mystery, but the symptoms of having pancreatic cancer were clear. These include Charles' weight loss, lack of appetite, constant fever, lethargy, abdominal pain and distention, and constant vomiting and diarrhea. Suffice to say, since the cancer was so severe, that they couldn't give him a cure. This revelation left the whole family crushed, and Lana was severely downcast. But what sold the depression was how cancer took Charles' life, and the vets had to put him down and euthanize him. There was no doubt that the 6-year-old tomboy was heartbroken by this. They already held a funeral for Charles right before Cliff was diagnosed with a lung infection, and now there were having a funeral for Cliff months later.
Upon seeing that everyone was ready for the funeral to get underway, Lucy stepped up to the stand and had turned her attention to the others in front. After clearing her throat, she then got the funeral underway.
"Ahem. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay our final wishes and respect for our wonderful cat named Cliff, who has passed away from a brutal battle with a lung infection. As of now, our cat is resting in the casket that stands before you," she directed their attention to the casket Leni bought for Cliff, which has Cliff's body resting in it, covered with the blanket that he always slept on. "Let us take this moment to commemorate all of our cherished memories of Cliff, whose spirit has been set free and never again will he have to suffer. He will always be remembered for the joy he has brought to our family, and the memories of him will never be forgotten. Take the next moment or so to look back on all of the fun times we all had with Cliff."
And they did just that. All of them closed their eyes and grasped their fingers out of prayers. They spent the next several moments to think back at all the good times that they had with Cliff. As soon as that was taken care of, Lucy decided to get down to business.
"Okay. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to call Lana up to the stand," she announced. "She is the one solely responsible for this funeral taking place. Therefore, she has a eulogy that she'd like to give for Cliff."
Lana wasn't entirely sure what a eulogy was, but she had this gut feeling that Lucy was referring to the announcement that she made in regards to her tribute and respect for Cliff. Upon Lucy stepping down to the side, Lana stepped up and approached the stand where she got ready to give her eulogy for Cliff. Once she had got up to the stand, she then cleared her throat and brought her gaze to everyone else in the crowd.
"Ahem. Hello, everybody. Thank you for attending this funeral on this important day. Today, I'd like to talk with you all on how important Cliff was not only to me but to the entire family," she began. "He wasn't just our cat. He was our pet, and he was my friend. But most of all; he was family. Just like Charles, Cliff held a very important part of my life. I had such amazing memories with him. I always loved cleaning up the messes Cliff made, scooping up his poop from the litter box, feeding him his dry and wet cat food every day and night. When I found out that he was infected with a serious lung disease that affected his breathing, and that he was going to die, I…I…I…"
The animal-loving tomboy had to sniff the mucus that was coming down her nose as she resumed.
"...I just couldn't believe it. Cliff couldn't die. He just couldn't. We already lost Charles and we were going to lose Cliff next," Lana whimpered, tears starting to form. "I wanted to do everything that I could to help Cliff and maybe save his life. Even though I failed to do that, I spent every single day of Cliff's life by keeping him company and showing him all the support that he deserves. Every second I had free time was spent with him, whether it was helping him to the cat box when he had trouble walking, getting him to eat soft and mushy cat food that was blended since his teeth couldn't chew, and just showing him the love and support every cat deserves to have. I…I even let him sleep in the same bed with me every night so he wouldn't have to suffer alone. In addition to relaxing with him and joining him in chilling out, I even took photos of the two of us together or just Cliff alone so that I can always remember him."
She had to clear her throat for a minute since the tears were taking over and displayed the sadness that she felt in this predicament. Upon whipping her eyes and nose, she continued.
"I…I did all of this with him up until the day he died. I just wanted to be the best owner he ever had…" Lana choked. "And…and…and then there was the final night of Cliff's life, and the last time that I ever slept with him, and to see him alive…I r-remember the final moments I had with Cliff before he died…"
Indeed. Lana could remember Cliff's final moments on his final night as if it was recorded. Even though it broke her heart, she decided to recall that particular memory on that final night.
-Start of Flashback-
On that final night, Lana was getting ready for bed while helping a poor frail Cliff up the bed. By this point, Cliff was an absolute wreck. He had lost a lot of weight, couldn't feel his gums, had a lot of discharge all over his eyes and nose, his legs were in a feeble condition, and his lungs were in an oppressed state. He was panting far more than usual at this point, but given the circumstances, this was expected. Still, it was heartbreaking to see him like this. Even with all the medicine and treatment that he was given, he felt miserable.
Once Cliff was safe and snuggled in her bed, Lana climbed in from the end through the blanket until she was on the other end of the bed, where she popped her head out onto her pillow and helped Cliff get comfortable.
"Well Cliff, today was another great day that we spent together," she told him sincerely. "I am going to miss having you around when you're gone, buddy. I had put our photos in a photo album so I will always remember the good times we had together, including the recent one that we took before heading to bed. Did you enjoy that?"
Without making a sound, Cliff slowly nodded his head in such a fragile manner. Lana then sighed sadly as she then decided to bring up.
"You know, Cliff, I want you to know that no matter what happens," she started. "I'll always be here for you: regardless of whether your dead or alive."
"M-M-Meeeoowww…?" Cliff meowed in such an ailing manner, wanting to know if she meant what she said.
"I mean it bud. Even when you're dead, I will always remember you. And you will always be our friend and our family…to all of us…especially to ME, Cliff," she promised him.
This touched the dying cat's heart and what he had left of his life. The black fragile cat smiled softly, as tears formed in his fatigued looking eyes while he started to purr next to the animal-loving tomboy. This was his way of saying 'thank you' to her. Not just for the promise that she made for him, but for everything she has ever done for him up to this point.
"Your welcome Cliff, my best friend," without any hesitance, Lana planted a kiss on Cliff's forehead to show her affection. "I guess this is it for the night, Cliff. But before we turn in, I just want you to know…that I love you, Cliff. I will always love you until the bitter end."
"Meeooooowwwww…" Cliff meowed in such a weakened state. It was his way of saying 'I love you too, Lana'.
"Goodnight, Cliff," Lana told him, resulting in the cat cuddling up into his arms and purred before they went to sleep together, with Cliff resting peacefully in Lana's arms.
Sadly, by the next morning, Cliff had passed away as he slowly died peacefully in Lana's warm arms overnight. When Lana realized that Cliff was dead, she frowned with tear-filled eyes and then said 'Goodbye, Cliff' before telling the others that Cliff had finally passed on…
-End of Flashback-
Just recalling that one memory caused Lana to choke up and get all watery-eyed. She took out the photo album with pictures of her and Cliff in it as she opened it up. Pictures of Lana and Cliff filled up every page, and they were shown to be happy together while spending time and living happy moments before Cliff had to go.
"I…I can't believe he's gone. It was going to happen eventually, but…I still can't believe that Cliff is gone," she whimpered. "I tried to do everything to save him from being taken…and I failed. Now he's dead, and there was nothing that I could do to stop it."
Unable to hold it in any way as a result of a dam finally cracking open, Lana broke down and cried her heart out. Tears were getting onto the fabricated pages of the photo album. As she sobbed a watery storm, the rest of the family and Clyde all had looks of sorrow, sympathy and forlorn. They knew exactly how she felt, and they felt bad about it.
The parents, in particular, felt especially sorry for their daughter and the pain that she was going through over the loss of their cat. Feeling that they need to take matters into their own hands, they approached Lana and began to comfort her.
"Lana, we're sorry that this had to happen," Rita apologized. "But this was going to happen whether we liked it or not. There was nothing else that we could do for him."
"I-I know…" Lana whimpered. However, both Rita and Lynn Sr. placed their hands on both sides of her shoulders just so they could reassure her.
"Look, sweetie, just think about this: you did the right thing by being there for Cliff every step of the way no matter what," assured Rita. "I'm more than certain that Cliff did appreciate everything that you've done for him up until his death."
"Your mother's right, sweetheart," Lynn Sr. agreed with his wife. "Cliff was really lucky to have you as his owner and to have such a dedicated animal lover take good care of him until his death. The important part was that you made him feel special and loved."
"I…I guess your right," she sniffed. "Cliff has been reunited with Charles, at long last."
"Exactly," the matriarch nodded. "Cliff is now in a better place where he will never have to suffer again."
"And the best part what that he was told that he will never be forgotten by any of us," the patriarch added. "He can rest peacefully and have all the fun he can get with Charles, in the litter box in the sky."
"I know," Lana wiped his snot and tears. "Thank you, mom and dad, for allowing this funeral to happen."
"Anytime sweetie," Rita hugged her. "We are always here for you whenever you need us for comfort."
"We can make it through this," Lynn Sr. patted her on the back. "And we can do it as a family."
"You guys are right," the 6-year-old tomboy agreed with this.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sisters were feeling forlorn for seeing their animal-loving sister like this. They were also sad about Cliff's departure, so they could relate to her current state…somewhat.
"Jeez. Lana is certainly taking Cliff's death hard," Lynn commented. "I've never seen her as upset as this before."
"Well can you blame her? Cliff is gone and she misses her," Luan brought up. "I can't even make a joke seeing how sad this is for all of us."
"To be honest dude, it was going to happen, and she knew it," Luna sighed. "I do feel sad for our sister, but now Cliff is free and reunited with Charles as he took the stairway to heaven."
"I totes miss Cliff guys. He was like, my bestie," Leni whined. "I never thought that he'd have to leave us like this."
"We all miss him Leni," Lori assured her roommate, making Leni feel at ease.
Then there was Lola, who was quiet this whole time. Believe it or not, she was not only feeling sad about Cliff's death. She was also feeling sorry and sympathy for her roommate. In one of these rare occurrences, she did express her condolences to her roommate the moment she told them that Cliff had passed. It's occasions like this that show for all of the times that she scuffles with her roommate, deep down she does care about her and she's not a devil as some people seem to think of her as. She even went as far as allowing Lana to borrow her camera to take all of those pictures she took with Cliff or just Cliff alone, so she'll always remember him.
She seriously has taken this personally. Lola thought to herself. I hate seeing Lana like this. I do feel sorry for her.
She remained lost in thought about this for a good amount of time.
Nearby, Lincoln and Clyde were discussing the sadness that lingered on through this funeral and how empathetic they felt for Lana.
"Boy Lincoln, your sister Lana certainly has been heartbroken by Cliff's death," Clyde pitied. "Not that I blame her. It's depressing to know that Cliff had to go."
"I feel the same way Clyde," Lincoln shook his head while closing his eyes. "I enjoyed having Cliff around the house since as Lana puts it, he was family. And now that he's gone…well, the Loud House has gotten a little less loud, and empty without him and Charles present."
"I hear ya pal," Clyde agreed with him. "I know that if it was one of my cats that passed away from a highly infected lung disease, I'm more than certain that you would offer me some condolences just like I'm doing for you."
"That I would, bud. That I would," Lincoln patted his buddy on the back to show that he'd support him had he been in a similar instance as this one. Clyde simply gave his best friend a smile in return.
And then there was Lisa, who was just as distraught and melancholic as the rest of her family. Yet at the same time, she also had a mix of shame and guilt crossed onto her face. There was a reason for this. You see, when she found out that Cliff had the lung infection that was slowly killing him on the inside, she has tried everything to come up with a cure for Cliff's lung infection so that he could be kept alive and well for the whole family, being the child prodigy she is. Unfortunately for her, no matter what she tried, nothing worked out for her and everything that she could have come up with ended up being either a dud or defected to the point where it backfired. She had tried her samples on her lab rats to see if it could be a success, but all this did was speed up the process and cause them to die faster. It was futile. Nothing worked at all for her.
All she wanted to do was to have Cliff be able to live for Lana's sake, so she could still have him after how cancer took Charles away from them. But she couldn't even do that right. The fact that she couldn't save him only caused her to be filled with more guilt and regret that she couldn't do anything.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her upset at the results again. As such, Lisa let out a sigh of frustration and guilt. This didn't go unnoticed by Lincoln, however, since he was right behind her when she did that. Knowing that something was bugging her, he felt like asking the appropriate question.
"Hey, Lisa? Is something the matter?" He queried.
"Nothing's the matter male sibling subject. I'm fine," Lisa insisted while grunting.
But Lincoln wasn't buying it. He knew something was up with the way she sighed.
"Come on Lisa, you know that that's not true," he crossed his arms. "I know something eating you, judging from the way you just sighed. So tell me what's going on."
"What do you THINK is going on," she snorted as a response.
Lincoln took the next minute or so to process exactly what her problem was. It was then it clicked, and he figured it out. He had witnessed Lisa trying to invent something to cure Cliff of his lung infection and showed disdain and irritation for her failed attempts at doing so.
So that's what's wrong with her…
Shaking his head, Lincoln approached her and kneeled to her height.
"Look, Lisa, don't beat yourself up over everything that had happened," he told her. "There was absolutely nothing that you could have done to fix the issue and save Cliff from dying."
"I refuse to believe the impossible," Lisa denied her brother's statement. "In this situation, failure was not an option. I could have done something to save Cliff from his lung infection after having our dog taken away by cancer. I'm supposed to be the genius in the family. And because we are a family, I had wanted to do something for the greater good. For all of us," it was at this point that Lisa was sniffing. "I could have saved him from his demise, and…and I failed to do so…"
It was then Lisa started sobbing, even though she normally doesn't express herself. Lincoln felt pity for her, seeing how she was taking this. Out of compassion, Lincoln placed both of his hands on her shoulders.
"Lisa, listen to me. I know that you wanted to do something good for Cliff, but you shouldn't make a big deal out of what happened," he then reminded her. "You have to remember that as ingenious as you are, you are still a four year old, and you can only do so much without the proper assistance. I'm sorry Lisa, but there was nothing you could have done for him, regardless of what you come up with."
"Your acknowledgment has been taken, Lincoln…" Lisa muttered softly. "I just wanted to have Lana exhilarated to have Cliff remain with us…"
"Our bro has a point there Lisa. You couldn't have done anything for him, anyway," Lana spoke up, having overheard everything that occurred between Lincoln and Lisa. "As much as I wanted him to stay, it had to happen."
"I'm afraid that I just have to accept the facts," Lisa sighed in defeat, whipping her glasses. "I'm sorry that I failed to save him."
"It's okay Lisa," Lana ensured her. "Thank you for trying to help him out with this."
"It was my pleasure, Lana."
Lisa then went and embraced Lana in a hug of solace. Lana then returned the hug as a result, as everyone else witnessed this taking place.
It was at this point where Lucy felt like getting this funeral to its conclusion, seeing that Lana was done with her little speech about Cliff. So she decided to wrap this up.
"I take it that Lana has finished her eulogy and now we can bring this funeral to a close," Lucy announced before asking. "Now does anyone else have something to say about Cliff before we get the burial procedure underway?"
Silence clouded amongst them, seeing that everything that had to be said has been done already. As such, there was nothing else to add to it that hasn't already been mentioned. Lucy noted the tranquility as that no one had anything else to add to this.
"Very well then. Let's move onto burying Cliff in the hole," Lucy looked at the casket in sadness. "Sigh. I'm going to miss having Cliff around."
"We all are going to miss him, Lucy," Lincoln told her. "But we can make it through this as a family."
"I know big brother," she sighed. "Well, let's start the burying ritual. Luna, if you wouldn't mind performing a sad tune to go along with this objective?"
"You got it, sis," Luna decided to use her acoustic guitar this time, seeing that her electric guitar would be inappropriate for this occasion. "This song is for Cliff; our cat who has departed for the Great Gig in the Sky."
As such, she then started to perform 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton, although the lyrics were modified a little to suit the situation regarding Cliff. Everyone else stood there in silence in a praying position, while Lucy lowered Cliff's casket into the hole that she dug up. The blanket that Cliff loved to sleep on all the time was covering his body, just so the family doesn't have to see his corpse. Once it was in the hole, she worked on burying up the hole properly with her shovel that she brought for this instance.
It took her a few minutes or so, but eventually, she had finished burying the hole up. When that was all taken care of, Lana took out something of sheer importance. It appeared to be some kind of tombstone made out of mahogany wood that she made herself. She walked around the buried spot and planted it behind Cliff's burial hole. The tombstone even had a message written on the front of it that said the following:
R.I.P Cliff: the greatest cat that we've ever owned.
One who kept us company, one who knew how to use the litter box, and one who would eat his cat food whenever it was given to him.
You will always be remembered, and you'll never be forgotten by any of us.
(2003-2019)
By then, Luna was done with her song as she put the guitar away. It was official. The funeral has come to a close.
Meanwhile, the Loud parents were discussing something of sheer importance to each other.
"Honey, are you sure burying Cliff in the backyard was a good idea," Lynn Sr. had to ask his wife.
"Well it was Lana's idea to have this funeral take place, dear," Rita answered. "We did this to make her satisfied since she was so devastated about losing Cliff."
"I know that. She was also crushed with Charles' death too," Lynn Sr. brought up. "And we had him cremated and kept his ashes in a dog statue that looks just like him."
"You have a good point there, Lynn. That statue was an expensive buy from eBay after all," Rita rubbed her chin. "As such, we kept the statue in the cabinet so Lana could always remember him and know that he'll never leave us. But I have to ask myself; should we do the same for Cliff?"
"I was asking myself that same question, love," the patriarch admitted. "I just don't think we should do it just yet since Lana's still depressed about all of this. I'll tell you what; after a week has passed when Lana is feeling a little more content, we can work on getting Cliff cremated and convincing our daughter to go through with this."
"That's a good idea, hun," the matriarch thought this was a tremendous idea. "The last thing I want to worry about is for Lana to be traumatized by a wild animal making off with Cliff's body, or worse; a burglar decides to trespass in our backyard and steals him from us. Not to mention this should give her enough time to grieve upon his death."
"It sounds like a plan Rita," Lynn Sr. was on board with this. "We can order another statue of a black cat that looks a lot like Cliff."
"I'm going to be all over that one Lynn," Rita promised him. "I'm going to order that statue the moment we go back inside."
"Glad to hear it, babe."
As the parents had that plan in motion, the rest of the group had talked amongst each other for a few minutes or so, regarding the funeral that they just took part in. Afterwards, it was Lori who made the next course of action.
"Alright guys," she directed. "Let's go back into the house since we've gotten all of this squared away, and this funeral is over...literally."
Everyone else seemed to agree with that. On that note, everyone started diverting from the backyard as they headed into the house. Even the two remaining pets Walt and Geo decided to head back in since they've already paid their tributes and respect for their second fallen companion.
The only one who remained outside was Lana, who was gazing closely at the plaque she made for Cliff's grave. She was in deep thoughts as to how Cliff was doing in the afterlife now that he was gone.
Lola took notice that Lana was still outside observing Cliff's grave. Before she headed in, she decided to call out to her twin.
"Hey, Lana!? Aren't you coming back in with us," she hollered with a hint of worry in her tone.
This got Lana out of her thoughts and she turned to face her pageant winning twin with forlorn.
"I'll be heading inside in a few more minutes sis," she told her. "I'd like to give my final words to Cliff."
Lola raised her eyebrow for a second or so. Then she realized that Lana wants to give her last words before she comes back into the house. Deciding to go with that, Lola just shrugged her shoulders.
"Suit yourself, I guess…" She said before entering the house and closing the door behind her, so Lana could have a few more minutes to patch things up with Cliff.
As soon as the door was shut, Lana turned back to the spot that Cliff was buried in as she took off her cap.
"Cliff? I just want you to know, that you were the best cat that we could have ever gotten. No one can ever replace you," she stated in a forlorn tone. "Everything that I said to you that night before you passed away the next morning, all of it is true. I will always be here for you, I will never forget about you, and you will always remain family to us…to all of us."
She then cleared her nose for a moment before she continued.
"I just hope that you can rest easy friend and that you're in a happier place," Lana muttered. "I hope that you and Charles are having fun together, my best friend…"
A tear trickled down Lana's left eye as it then landed right on the spot that Cliff was buried in. Upon wiping her eyes and nose, she then stepped back a couple of feet.
"Well, I guess this is it. Goodbye Cliff," she gave her farewell. "I love you bud, always and forever."
With her finals words being said, Lana turned around and walked slump like to the door where she opened it up and entered. She took one last look at the grave in the backyard before she closed the door and went up to her room, leaving Cliff's grave all alone for the cat to rest in peace in…
A full week has passed since the funeral for Cliff was held by the Loud family. By then, the Loud parents felt that it was the best time to have their talk with Lana. They had discussed with her the possibility of getting Cliff cremated just like they did with Charles instead of leaving him buried in the back for a couple of reasons. One of those reasons included the fact that they don't want to risk there being a chance when a wild animal digs up Cliff's grave and makes off with the casket that Cliff is resting in. The other reason for this was even worse; the fear of some thief trespassing into their backyard digs up Cliff's grave and steals the casket that he was resting in was something they didn't want to risk happening either.
Lana was feeling very reluctant about the idea at first, seeing that she was quite uncomfortable with having to dig up Cliff's corpse after they had buried it a week ago. But eventually, she came around to the idea. She felt that it would be a better decision if he could be cremated.
She had decided on this for two reasons. The first was that she couldn't imagine a wild animal or a burglar making off with Cliff's lifeless body in that casket. It would crush her heart. The second reason was that Charles could be given some company and having Cliff's ashes next to Charles' would keep him 'satisfied and happy'.
As soon as Rita and Lynn Sr. informed the rest of their kids about this change of plans, which they have come to accept, the two of them got the arrangements underway. They started by digging up the casket that Cliff was in, with the help of Lucy who used her shovel. After that was taken care of, the parents took Cliff and brought him to be cremated.
By then, they had already gotten a new statue of a black cat that has a strong resemblance to Cliff from eBay. They inserted Cliff's ashes into the statue where it was then put into a cabinet next to Charles' ashes in the dog statue.
In addition to that, the parents had also gotten a plaque for Cliff, which said the same thing that Lana wrote on the mahogany tombstone. The plaque was placed in front of the black cat statue. Surprisingly, there was also a plaque right in front of the dog statue, which was meant for Charles. The plaque said the following:
R.I.P Charles: the greatest dog we've ever owned.
One who could play fetch, dig up holes, allows me to eat his dog food, and was always loyal to us.
You will always be remembered, and you'll never be forgotten by any of us.
(2004-2019)
There was no doubt that this message was written by Lana, considering the context of it. Even then, Charles' ashes were now joined by Cliff's ashes in the cabinet, so they can always remember them and that they know they're in the house with them.
Regardless of the placement, it was clear that Cliff will always be family to the Louds, even though he's no longer with them physically. He will always be alive in their hearts and they all know for a fact that they'll never have to worry about him suffering again. He was resting in serenity where he was never distressed, alongside Charles. Never again would Cliff have to be put through agony, since he was in a better place, and all of the Louds knew this…
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
THE END EVERYONE!
That's right readers. This is the end of the story. I normally don't do tragic stories like this, but I do hope you've enjoyed it anyway. Don't worry. This is not canon to the other Loud House stories that I've done. This is entirely AU compared to the ones I've done already.
Now here's the reason why I did this kind of story. Buckle down because this is going to be quite an explanation.
On this day one year ago, my tortoiseshell cat named Chumly (the cat that's in the cover picture for this story) had passed away due to having severe lung problems. All of the stuff that resulted in Cliff's death in this story was based around all the problems that Chumly had; she just didn't sleep with me on my bed. She had trouble walking, so she walked slowly. She constantly arched her back when she was sneezing and cough, which was followed by her panting for air. She had discharge in her eyes and nose that needed to be wiped out daily. Her teeth were in pain and she couldn't chew dry cat food (she had to have her wet cat food blended into a blender to make it liquidy so she could eat it without chewing). She couldn't jump on anything high up anymore since she had problems with that. And she was losing weight and her appetite had declined. She kept being given medicine, including steroids to try to reduce the coughing fits, and anti-biotic medicine for her mouth. It was a pain seeing her like that.
And that's not the worse part. Over time, her overall health had declined significantly. We kept bringing her to the vet constantly, but it just wasn't enough. In her final days, Chumly had started moving less, eaten less, she hadn't even used the cat box as much as she used to. I believe the night before she died the next day was when she was reaching the end of her life.
On the day she died, I was vacuuming downstairs and I forgot to bring Chumly upstairs (we lived in a 2-floor house at the time). Then when I went upstairs, I found Chumly right under my bed where she couldn't move, was panting and her back was wet. I'm not even going to give the rest since it sounds yucky, but she left a farewell treat. I brought her downstairs in front of the fireplace (as it's shown in the picture) and I tried everything for her, even giving her that softened wet cat food, but it was no use. I was angry, but I was angry at myself. I blamed myself for what happened to Chumly, even though she was going to go anyway (she was 15 by the way, and we couldn't give her an operation due to her age). But that isn't even the saddest part. No, the saddest part about all of this was that I was the LAST ONE to have ever seen her alive! Meaning I witnessed her death full-hand and my guilt increased tenfold. People have told me that this wasn't my fault and not to blame myself for Chumly dying, but still, I was just ashamed and regretful for all of this. Just thinking about it makes me sad, especially since it was traumatizing for me...
Back to the story, I chose Lana to be in a saddened position because well...she's an animal lover. I could picture her in that state if Charles or Cliff passed away, or one of her other animal friends such as Hops, Izzy and El Diablo.
Oh yeah, then there's the whole cremation situation. This was done mainly because Chumly was cremated as we kept moving from house to house, and the black cat statue that Cliff's ashes were put in was inspired by a cat statue I have at home that contains Chumly's ashes so that I know that she'll always be with us because Chumly is part of my family.
Something else that I should bring up; this story shows another side of Lola in regards to her relationship with Lana. This story showcases that she isn't a devil as some may think, and that deep down, she does care about her twin. This was capitalized on when she felt sorrow and empathy for her twin when Cliff died.
And another thing, the title of this story is meant to be a shout-out to the UnderratedHero's story Requiem for a Loud. Originally, I had wanted to name this story 'Requiem for a Cliff'. However, after some thinking, I felt that it wouldn't serve the purpose or the tribute behind this story. As a result, I changed the word to 'Cat' instead. Aside from that, the story Inadequate was a slight influence on this story as well, in regards to the depressing feel and atmosphere that exists within this story.
Honestly, I had no idea that I'd be doing this kind of story. I mean I wanted to do a tribute for Chumly for a while, but after I got a picture frame of Chumly sitting in front of the fireplace (the cover picture to this story) for Christmas, well that inspired me to create this story. I mean last year I was working on another story; a crossover collaboration and Chumly's death was one of the many reasons why I suffered from a creator breakdown, where I eventually got sick of developing that crossover and at one point, I had felt the strong need to quit that story. That was an incredibly tough time for me.
So that's that. It's been a year since you left Chumly. I seriously do miss you and I think of you every day.
R.I.P. Chumly, my tortoiseshell cat.
(2003-2019)
Now readers, if you like to leave a review, feel free to do so. If you have constructive criticism, you can leave it. Just understand that I might be feeling a little down today since it's been a year since you know what happened. And if you don't have criticism for me, you can leave a review anyway and let me know what you think overall.
Otherwise, that's all that I have for this story. I do hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you understand my motive for making this kind of story. On that note, I do hope you tune in for the next story that I'll make for this series and thanks again for reading everyone.
