Thursday, September 13, 2007

Mournful Tidings

Every single year, with terrible infallibility, one fatal day looms up on the horizon. September fourteenth. Ah, the relentless cruelty of time! A savage blow has been dealt to my heart, for another year of life has passed, and I must bear witness to the aging of a most dear and precious friend.

Today, my friends, is the day that Hannah was born… so very, very long ago.

She is now, quite officially, dreadfully ancient. You do not believe me. It is true—she is so exceedingly old that I must hold up almost four hands to show her age. Kristin and I have dressed in sackcloth for the grievous occasion, and I have a pile of ashes on my head. Alas! For she is… seventeen summers old.

I know the unspeakable anguish that you are feeling as you read. My friends, do not attempt to quench your sorrow. Instead, join with me as we grieve for Hannah, as is only fitting.

My eyes are swimming with tears, as I fondly recall the days of Hannah's youth. How can I ever forget her favorite stuffed monkey, Albert, with the bald spot above his ear from all the nights she lovingly stroked his little head? Or the adorable way she would stick out her lower lip, when she didn’t get what she wanted? How can I ever erase the image from my mind of little Hannah, swinging her legs on a stool as she sipped a glass of chocolate milk and munched on a cookie before bed? Her milk moustache communicated everything more eloquently than a thousand words could ever do. I will always smile when I remember her wearing those fuzzy purple slippers that made the squeaking noise, as she skipped blithely into the kitchen—still holding Albert by the tail. These memories are priceless, and they will remain with me forever. But now, those precious days are never to be seen again. Albert was surrendered to the dog as a chew toy just last week, and her favorite drink is now a mocha latte. The tears are falling onto my keyboard more rapidly now, but I will not quell this poignant expression of my misery. Oh, how I remember all the joyous times we spent together, when she was still young! How clearly I can see her now in my mind’s eye, on her sixteenth birthday, the day that we first met face-to-face!

And yet, in spite of this unpreventable tragedy, Hannah, know that we will always remain your bosom friends, until the very end of time.

On behalf of Kristin, and all the readers of this blog: we are so sorry, Hannah.

UPDATE: And...in honor of this special day, BftH has decided to crash. We don't know why and we hope it shall return soon.