Miami, USA, March, 2002
The girls of Rooms 7 and 8 cried as they buried the little comma-shaped bundle of brown fur.
Even before it could be given a name, the fifth little pup of guinea pigs Bart Fluff and Prettianna, died. He was trampled over by his siblings, as they scrambled to get to their mother. All the pups were two days old, so they probably did not know what they had done.
The guinea pigs belong to the teacher of Room 7. They have given birth to many litters over the past five years – all adopted by the children who pass through Room 7. the current litter was just two days old.
“There are four and a half babies.” That’s because the pup was so small, that when it tried to curl up into a ball like its brothers and siblings, it looked like a comma!
The others looked like period marks.
“This is where we have buried the baby,” said a teary-eyed pigtailed seven year-old from Room 7.
She pointed to the tree in front of the school. A little mound marked the little baby. In two days, it had found a place in the hearts of many children.
May the baby cavy rest in peace.
