21st May 2024

Elisa took the news of Miu’s demise well. She was shocked, asking, “Can cats die?” This with wide-eyed surprise at such a concept. “Yes, and dogs, and horses and …”

She wiped away a tear, then asked me lots of questions including, “What is poison?” this not being something she has come across in her five years. Have you ever tried explaining this concept to a child while assuring them that only some things are poisonous and could kill you? Which things? Well, erm …

“Verdampft that Miu died!” This is Elisa’s version of “verdammt – damn!” I love it because “verdampft” includes the word “Dampf”, which means “steam”. The combination doesn’t make any sense, but I enjoy the image of someone stamping their foot with steam coming out of their ears.

Just before bed she asked, “Can Miu see and hear us from Heaven like Oma G?”. My affirmation was rewarded by a big smile of relief. “Silly me, I didn’t think of that before”. Not at all silly.

Then she added, “I’m going to miss Miu coming onto the bed and sleeping with us”.

“Me, too”, I agreed, “but we’ve still got each other”.