When a little child, my son asked for a living animal. He loved his soft stuffed bears, a tiny camel that I had brought from Marocco, a small St Bernard dog he highly appreciated but wanted a real animal, a living animal. I found it reasonable since I also love animals and bought him a turtle, a small redfish in an aquarium and a hamster. He appreciated them, but he really wanted an animal like a cat or a dog. That was a problem because he suffered from skin eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma. In children with these health issues, cat's and dogs are not advisable because of their fur and litter.
I wanted to please my child, but I kindly explained that we could try to have an animal at home, but we could have to find another place for it if his allergic issues got worse. Fortunately, my son understood my point and accepted my fears.
Meanwhile, little by little, the turtle, the fish and the hamster died, and my son longed more than ever for an animal friend: a cat or a dog. He no longer wanted more turtles, fishes or hamsters because they were no good at playing.
Then, one day, he came to me with a proposal. A school friend's bitch had given birth to cute kittens in hir backyard. My son went to see them. He was absolutely delighted to watch them. "They are so lovely, Mummy" – he said, and, whenever he could, he went to see them. The kittens were growing. And, one day, my son came to me with an idea. He would like to buy one of these kittens from his friend. Then, he would bring the kitten to our apartment.
I was so surprised that I didn't know what to respond. I gulped and didn't say a word. But then I started by asking my son how did he intend to buy the kitten. He hadn't asked me for money to buy it. And my son replied that he would exchange the kitten by teaching Miguel, his friend, a formula, "How to hypnotize an animal". And where did you get that formula, Sonny, I asked him. From Daddy, he replied. He learned about hypnotizing techniques in his work as a psychiatrist, don't you remember? Oh, of course, I replied. And what if your allergies get worse by your contact with the cat fur? Maybe I can tolerate it, Mummy. Please, let me try. Please, Mummy! Please!
Well, I'm in big trouble, I thought to myself. But then, I agreed - Okay, Sonny. We can try. But remember that if you get worse, the kitten must absolutely go back to your friend's backyard. Thanks, thanks, Mummy. It's a deal!
And he brought the kitten in a small box with him. The poor kitten was terrified and was hiding for two days. It was a cute white kitten with grey spots and beautiful blue eyes. He called it Benny Bunny because the kitten looked like a grey bunny. When it started to be familiar with us and the house, we started feeding it, taking care of it, and, at last, my son was happy because he had an animal, a companion animal. They played all around. Both loved to play the marble.
My son was happy! And no allergic symptoms had come up! Fortunately, my son was not allergic to cat fur, later confirmed in an allergy test.
Everything was okay, thank God!
But what about the hypnotism formula. Did it work – I asked my son?
Well, Mummy. I told Miguel about the formula, instructed him how to use it in a Benny Bunny's sibling, but the animal wasn't hypnotizable!
I was stunned to see how my son disentangled himself from this situation so quickly! But his love for animals had overcome all.
When we took Benny Benny to the veterinary, he welcomed my son's idea of wanting an animal as his companion, saying that, from his clinical experience, animals highly contribute to children's happiness. Sometimes, parents come home tired and have little time for their children, and animals are loving, emotionally stable and always welcome the affection and the children's games.
So, my dear children, if you love animals, don’t give up to ask for one!
Maria do Sameiro Barroso (Portugal), a medical doctor and a multilingual poet, translator, essayist, and researcher, has authored over 40 books of poetry, translations, and essays. She is the recipient of national and international prizes, the last being the Honor Prize for Complete Work, Naji Naaman Literary Prize 2021.
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