Dog and Cat looked concerned.
"What's up?" I asked.
"We aren't sure what the outcome of this is going to be."
"I'll come out of it fine."
"Yes, but we don't know where. The problem is that we don't know if you're coming back."
Their sad faces and droopy tails touched my heart. I gave them both a pat.
"Look. There's something these guys don't know I know. And it's nothing they can take away."
I smiled and got them to look at me with a tuck under their chins.
"First, they don't know I know. Second, they take all this stuff seriously. That's their main mistake."
At this, both Cat and Dog relaxed.
I continued, "Look, you two are my best friends ever, in any dream or world I've seen. I'll be back. I may not know right now what I have to do, but I'll be back. Just keep the barnyard running so you can catch me up when I return, OK?"
Dog wagged his tail and panted with a wide smile. Cat just purred loudly in assent.