The Little Things That Are Anything But

There are things that stay with you, things that may only last for a moment, but which lodge themselves into the depths of your subconcious and stay there, emerging occasionally when you least expect them to.

One such thing happened the weekend before last.

We were due to visit friends up in the wilds of Yorkshire, and so I got up early to make coffee so that we could hit the road for the four hour journey to sunny Leeds.

As I came downstairs the first thing I noticed, or to be more accurate, didn't notice was that the birds were quiet. Usually they are very vocal of a morning, twittering away and generally making a wonderful nuisance of themselves, but today was different.

They were quiet, and as I walked into the dining area I realised that all was not well in the cage where we keep our two guinea pigs, Aston and Jemima.

Aston was lying very still, which was strange for her as she is the more confident of the two and usually the first to rush to the bars for a treat, but not today. She was still, having shuffled off her mortal coil and gone to guinea pig pastures elsewhere.

The thing that stays with me, though, and broke my heart was the sight of Jemima gently tugging on Aston's ear, trying to wake her. It was such a gentle gesture, born of the refusal to accept that her sister had gone on ahead to wherever guinea pigs end up, and it brought a tear to my eye.

It's these little things, the brief moments that are over in an instant that define much more than we think possible.

Aston is currently being cremated and will be returned in a wooden casket, as have other animals in this household before her. It may seem silly, or a waste of money, but for those who have pets, no matter how small, will understand that they're every bit as important to a home as the human occupants.

She lived a good life, was loved and gave her own brand of guinea pig love in return, and now she's somewhere else, sorting out the eternal guinea pig box for Jemima when her turn eventually comes (a good while from now, I hope).

They may be little things, these moments, but the way they resonate within us is anything but.


R.I.P Aston - you are missed.