Hamster Heaven

One the weekends we usually let Kiera stay up a little later than normal. She is actually really good at staying up late when allowed. Me? Well, I am ready for bed at 9:30. By 10:30, I am hanging on by a thread.

This last Friday night was no different. We had let her stay up and watch Live PD with us. I was lying on the couch, fighting to keep my eyes open while Aaron and Kiera were discussing one thing after another.

At 10:50, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Ok, baby. It’s time for bed.” I said as I pushed myself off the couch.

There were only a few grumbles as we headed to her room. I walked on the other side of her bed to feed Jackson, the hamster, as Aaron helped Kiera change into her pajamas.

Thinking about my nice, warm, cozy bed I quickly filled Jackson’s food dish and peeked in his secondary cage at him. I studied the bedding trying to find him. Finally I located a small lump and uncovered him. Much to my dismay, he did not move. I closed my eyes knowing what was fixing to come. Suddenly, I was not tired anymore.

Gently, I reached in the cage and poked him, only to have my fear confirmed. I closed the lid and turned to face Aaron. Catching his eye over the top of Kiera’s head, I gave him the look.

“Really?” He asked.

“Yup.” I responded. It’s nice to be able to communicate.

Aaron sat down on Kiera’s bed and pulled her in front of him. “Baby,” He started speaking as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You know how we talk about time keeps on going, no matter what we do?”

“Yes.” She responded.

“And you know how we have talked about Sloane getting older and how she has all the white hairs around her eyes and nose?” He continued on.

“Yes.” She stated.

Aaron paused, searching for the right words.

“How come I feel like you are going to tell me Jackson is dead?” She asked.

Aaron and I both sighed. “Because he is, baby.” Aaron responded.

We both watched her face, waiting to see how she would react to the news. Her face mirrored the shock that I felt.

Aaron quickly pulled her into him for a hug. “I’m so sorry, baby.” He said as he rubbed her hair.

Amazingly enough, as we talked about Jackson’s death there were no tears. There was visible sadness but no tears. I went to the kitchen to find a bag and a box to place Jackson in for the night until we could bury him the next day.

When I came back, Kiera was sitting on her bed forlornly, staring into space. She climbed off her bed and helped gather bedding to place in the box for him. “Can we have a funeral for him tomorrow?” She asked quietly.

“Absolutely.” I responded. I handed Jackson off to Aaron to place in our laundry room for safe keeping over night and sat back on Kiera’s bed. She lay down, cuddled into her blankets and promptly burst into tears. My heart broke.

I lay down on her bed and pulled her up against me, quietly shushing her as I patted her.

We lay like that for a few minutes. Aaron sat on the other side of the bed, giving her time to grieve before he said, “Hey, sweetie. What was your favorite memory of Jackson?”

She sniffled, wiping the tears off her cheeks and said, “Remember when we first got him and he would jump off the top spot in his cage because he couldn’t figure out how to use the ladder?”

We all laughed, as we remembered how we weren’t sure he would make it those first few days. We began to reminisce about the funny things that he had done over the couple of years that we had him.

I was so thankful for Aaron at that moment and how he knew how to bring her out of her sadness. She finally settled in for the night, quickly falling asleep.

The next morning, I was woken up by a small voice beside my head. “We have to bury Jackson!” Kiera exclaimed.

“We will baby. We will.” I said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into our bed.

The rest of the morning was spent decorating Jackson’s box. She took the time to write his date of death, his name and his address on the box. It was precious.

Later that afternoon, we had a small funeral for Jackson. It wasn’t anything fancy. Thankfully, the ground was wet because the box I had found to put him in was not a small box. In fact, Jackson had plenty of bedding, a couple of toys and a note in the box with him.

I’m happy to report that Kiera has bounced back well after losing Jackson. She is growing up. I know there will be more sadness in her life but I hope we can always look for the happy moments.

Rowonna McNeely works as the Communications Manager for the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband, Aaron are regular volunteers in the community, and have their hands full with their daughter, Kiera, along with three dogs and one cat.

Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at lifea2k@yahoo.com.