Liz’s pet pug, Lucy, mourns her owner’s recent death, wondering what the purpose of her short life was. She begins to dig at the floor in Liz’s room in an attempt to console herself, only to be picked up by Liz’s younger brother, Alvy. Alvy reassures her that the family will continue to care for her and talks about his hope that Liz is now in heaven: “Likely story, Lucy thinks. She doesn’t believe in the happy hunting ground or the rainbow bridge” (4).

At the dog park the next day, Lucy sits disconsolately on a bench. A few of the other dogs ask her what’s wrong, but they don’t understand why Lucy is so depressed, noting that 15 years is a long life from a dog’s perspective. Left alone, Lucy thinks, “In the end, the end of a life only matters to friends, family, and other folks you used to know […] For everyone else, it’s just another end” (6).

Liz wakes up in a bunk bed in a strange room. She sits up, jostling the bed above her, and sees that it’s occupied by a girl roughly her own age. Liz asks her where they are, and the girl—gesturing out the porthole—says they must be on a boat.