This was not the way Janet has envisioned her day would end. It was a pretty by the numbers day, with nothing out of the ordinary and this was just fine with her. After work and the mind numbing commute, Janet just wanted to play with her new pets for about a half an hour, before turning into a couch potato. Yes, a little sunshine in the back yard and some laughter with the “kids” would do her just perfect. The “kids”, as she called them, were a new development in Janets life. She has lived alone and the house felt more and more empty, as the years has passed on. But she did not wanted somebody to move in either, or at least not until mr. right shows up anyway, as she often put it. As such, she compromised and started looking for the perfect pet to cheer up the domestic life.

 For whatever reason, Janet was on the opinion that cats and dogs are too mainstream and that she should go for something less ordinary, something odd, as she is. Never the less, the options were in abundance and pretty soon, Janet felt overwhelmed by the possibilities. Then, as she was browsing the headlines on a particular day, she came across a picture of a baby platypus. Janet was smitten. The level of cuteness was over the moon. That was it, she had to get a platypus as a pet. Small bump to overcome… there were no platypuses anywhere near where she lived. This is not the sort of animal a pet store would be selling, there is no platypus pound, there are no platypus champion breeders, and the few zoos that actually have the animal certainly are not in the selling business. Janet was distraught. Her dream was shattered. After all the soul searching she has done for the perfect pet, she was ultimately denied.

 Resigned of her failure, she still went to the pet shops on occasion, just to browse, hoping that inspiration would struck her again, but with a more realistic resolve. And as it happens, it did. Over night, Janet became the proud owner of a ferret and a duckling. The “kids” seemed to like their new surroundings, although the ferret always protested when, after playtime, it was returned to its cage. But what can you do? Ferrets cannot run around in the house on their own. Janet was very happy with the new found life in her house and played with her “kids” every morning before work, and in the afternoon after. Except today….

 Today she came home and the ferret was in the middle of the kitchen. It had a stuffed belly and there was a bit of dried blood on its mouth as well as on the floor. Janet could have sweared that she locked the cage in the morning and she was rather positive that she has left no meat outside in the open that the ferret could have eaten. Actually, there was no meat in the house whatsoever, as Janet was vegan. This whole thing was very puzzling and did not sit well with Janet. A sense of dread was creeping up on her. As the ferret was put back in the cage and locked in, twice, the sound of silence in the house became evermore louder. Janet realized that she has yet to hear from the duckling. She went to the corner that was set up as accommodation for the duckling, but it too has escaped that day, it seems, as it was not there. This mischief began to aggravate Janet. She started walking around the house, seeking for the duckling, but no response. Then, by chance, she glanced a pair of duckling feet next to the refrigerator. Janet rushed to the fridge to surprise the little fellow, but her joy quickly faded away and made room for sorrow.

 There was no more little duckling there, only an empty husk. The ferrets meal was the duckling. Janet broke down in tears. The universe has found her unfit to take care of a pet. By the time Janet had found the strength to get up from the kitchen floor, it was almost dark outside. She took the remains of the duckling and buried it in her back yard. Then she went to the ferrets cage. She couldn’t blame the poor animal for her own neglect, but then again, there was no more joy in looking at the little ferrets face either. It had to go. The took the cage in her car and drove to the woods outside of town. There, in one of the resting stops, she took out the cage and opened it up. The ferret quickly came out, but then stopped, somewhat confused. Janet clapped loudly and the ferret ran straight into the bushes. After a loud sigh, Janet got back in the car and drove home. Her home was silent once more, and empty. She opened up a bottle of Chardonnay and and started the couch potato part of her evening, what was left of it anyway.

 About a year later, at the same time, she was sitting on a chair in a not so nice room filled with strangers and said: “ Hi, I am Janet, and I am an alcoholic.”