by Jayme's Mommy
1999
The Night we buried Sammy's Hamster was a very special night. We waited for this event all day. Our best friend, Sammy, was very sad. He loved his little hamster. Sammy's mother cried too.
Despite the grief and sadness, we went to the beach that day. The waves were rough. They were coming from every direction. Sammy said, "they are double jointed." He stood on the shoreline for a while. He said the water was cold. His friend, Jayme, ran right into the surf, without a thought. But Sammy took his time.
Before long, the boys wrestled the tireless waves and rode it's surf. They played for several hours.
Soon after we arrived home, Jayme begged to see Hamster's lifeless body. His eyes were open ! Perhaps he was still alive !! The boys wanted desperately to believe the vet could resuscitate Hamster. Sammy's mom assured them that Hamster was, indeed, dead.
The burial took place in a garden where vegetables grow. When I arrived, the boys were patting the soil that covered the shallow hole that Sammy's mom had prepared earlier that day.
Sammy's mom and his brother, Matthew, were there. Their mom was the first to place a flower on the grave. She stuck the bottom of the stem into the soft earth so that the flower stood up. Matthew helped Jayme prop a sunflower against the fence. Soon, there were five small flowers and one sunflower decorating Hamster's grave.
It was Jayme's idea that each of us should say a few words. Jayme talked to Hamster as if his spirit - his life force - were still alive, "please remember us, we will always remember you." With his head hung low, Sammy softly said, "I loved you Hamster and I will miss you."
Sammy came over to our house later that evening. The two boys watched some t.v. together. They sat on the edge of the bed of a pull-out sofa and ate macaroni and cheese. Noone mentioned Hamster. Shortly after, Sammy gazed out the window for several moments. Then he said, "I better go home now, it's getting late."
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