R.I.P. Twilight

Poor Mary's little bunny Twilight passed on yesterday. We can't really say what the cause of death was, but it was quite a shock to Mary to find him when she went downstairs to play with him and brush his coat.

It was a very, very sad and weepy household last night. Keith was also upset about the loss of his bunny's brother (and feeling, for perhaps the first time, his OWN immortality). Izzy--well, she doesn't have the emotional capacity or attention span to handle something like this yet. She was upset at first--and then she kept going around matter-of-factly bellowing out around the house in her BIG voice, "Twilight DIED!" which would upset her big sister even more.

I made the grand gesture to our sad daughter and let her sleep in our bed with us last night.

Now that the shock has worn off, Mary's doing a little better. She drew a picture for him and pinned it on his empty cage. She wore a dress today in honor of him. And she is requesting that we bury him underneath the tree in the front yard (we are still pondering if that is the best location).

The good news is that Mary was already asking about a new pet last night. A mouse? A hamster? But NOT another bunny. We told her we would take some time to heal from this wound--and take care of Twilight's brother Brownie--before we moved on to a new pet.

John and I have been going back and forth over getting a dog for the last few months, anyway. And looking into non-allergenic breeds so that I don't have to have shots. Perhaps this summer we'll finally take the plunge--and find a replacement for our dear Mary's Twilight.

(Bunny NOT named after Vampire books--which Mary has never even HEARD of.)