A death in the family

Late tonight we received the sad news that Blythe's brown tabby cat Twig was killed on the road outside their house earlier today.

We'd spent a happy family evening watching the three X-Men movies together and were preparing for bed when Blythe checked her voicemail messages at almost exactly the same time as I was reading the email from her mother marked "urgent."

I don't think I've ever been so pierced as I was when I heard her scream of anguish from her bedroom, nor ever climbed the stairs so quickly. And I know for a fact that I've never felt so helpless as I did while I sat beside her on her bed, cradling her in my arms as she sobbed for the loss of her beloved pet.

I never knew him, but from Blythe's measured and moving obituary it's obvious he was both a very loving and a very loved member of the family.