Even dogs get old and die

ALLY:
Kiri - why is that when you meet my friends on Facebook  you call them by their names, but you refer to me as, "Small Human Person?" You know my name!

KIRI:
I don't know what your friends look like so I can only use the names they tell me!

ALLY:
But that's the name their mummy and daddy gave them! Their proper name!

KIRI:
So why did your mummy and daddy call you "Ally?"

ALLY:
They didn't, actually. They called me "Allison."

KIRI:
So you use a different name? Why? Does "Ally" mean "small Allison?"

ALLY:
Well, in a way it does.

KIRI:
I am so clever! I worked that out for myself!!! And ... and ... they didn't know you'd grow up to be a small person, did they?

ALLY:
Probably not. Though my mum was smaller than I am.

KIRI:
Tiny Human Person then. Was she was small as me?

ALLY:
No. Just a wee bit smaller than I am.

KIRI:
Why have I never met your mummy and daddy? I want to meet them!!!

ALLY:
You can't.

KIRI:
Why not?

ALLY:
They died a long time ago.

KIRI:
No!!! Oh Small Human Person - Small Ally - that is sad. I am so sad.

What happened? Did an asteroid come crashing to earth and explode over their house? Were they abducted by aliens who frazzled them with a ray gun? Were they collateral damage in a terrorist shoot-out? Were they poisoned by eating one of those funny poisonous fish that Homer Simpson ate? Tell me!!!

ALLY:
None of those things. They just got old, and died, like everyone does eventually.

KIRI:
Everyone but you. You won't get old and die!

ALLY:
Yes. I will.

KIRI:
No!! You can't!

ALLY:
I wish you were right.

KIRI:
I won't get old and die though! I'm a dog!!

ALLY:
Dogs get old and die too. Look at Ghyll. He's old.

KIRI:
But he's not DEAD.

ALLY:
Not yet.

KIRI:
I love Old Creaky Dog even if he's not much use to play with! I thought if I waited long enough he might get young again, and then we could play together!! Is that not right then?

ALLY:
People and dogs don't get young again. I wish they did. But they just get old and die.

KIRI:
You've made me sad again.

ALLY:
Sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Tell me about your mummy and daddy! What were they like?

KIRI:
My mummy was a space dog from the planet Perro! She was great!!!

ALLY:
Indeed?  I didn't know you spoke Spanish.

KIRI:
There's a lot about me you don't know.

ALLY:
That's true. You need to tell me more. What about your daddy?

KIRI:
My daddy ... he was a Great Warg from Middle Earth!

ALLY:
Goodness! I am impressed. I suppose your mummy fancied him because he was a dangerous bad guy.

KIRI:
That's right! They fell in love and had little me!! And then my daddy had to run away because the Middle Earth policemen were after him!!

ALLY:
Middle Earth policemen? How much of Lord of the Rings have you actually read?

KIRI:
What's Lord of the Rings?

ALLY:
It's the book that has Middle Earth and wargs in it.

KIRI:
Oh! There's a book! I was watching The Hobbit on TV with you last night. There were wargs and Middle Earth in that.

ALLY:
Ah. It's all part of the same story. You should read the books. But you're admitting you made it all up, aren't you?

KIRI:
No! It's all true!!!

ALLY:
You have a wonderful imagination.

KIRI:
Well, I live with you, don't I?