by Beebs » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:04 am
I know I have a story on the last page, but one of my pets died recently.
His name was Frisky, a small white gerbil. We called him and his cage-mate, Cuddles, a gray and white gerbil with red eyes, "The Freaks." Frisky was "Freak," while Cuddles was the "Red-Eyed Freak." My step-brother and I chose them about four years ago, when he was twelve and I was ten. I loved my gerbil, but understood he wasn't like a cat or dog. You couldn't hug them and expect them to be alright with it. They were delicate creatures, and you had to take care of them.
We took good care of them, until Cuddles died three years after we got them. Not just a normal death either; Frisky had killed him. He had a slit through his throat, and my step-brother said he found Frisky over him, preparing to eat him. I knew this was normal behavior, but my step-brother didn't seem to mind it.
After that, Frisky was named "The Cannibal." I constantly called him "my favorite cannibal" as well as "Freak" and so forth.
My mom was convinced he had gained an extra life like in the video games when he died at four years of age. After that, I felt a little sad. Not much, but it did distract sometimes. One day, I was going upstairs with my dog and saw his cage was missing. They had cleaned up the area and taken the cage outside while I was at school. I felt a little upset, and sighed sadly.
My dog, Savannah, a hyper and energetic "Blue" Beagle who loves people, suddenly calmed down. When I leaned down to stroke her, she looked up at me with her hazel eyes. I didn't understand what she was trying to tell me at the time. I continued into my room and lazily played on my laptop and DS.
Instead of bouncing around and persuading me to play with her, she curled up on my bed with a huge sigh. Not long after, I shut my stuff and just lay there. She lifted her head quickly, then scooted closer to me, placing her head on my right leg. She gazed at me, then closed her eyes to sleep. I began to stroke her, smiling.
Savannah taught me that these things do happen. Life does go on, and there isn't anything we can do about. We just have to trudge through. She and my cat, Chucky, have both taught me this lesson now. I'm wondering if all of my pets will teach this to me. (Frisky didn't teach me anything, except not to mess with him much. His bites actually hurt! xD)