Avoidance

So Henry's had a rough time with his little pets on the farm. He got attached to one of the cute baby barn kittens outside. Yeah, this isn't going to end well. His "little baby kit-ten" passed away of unknown causes not too long ago.
Now I don't like the idea of glossing over the facts of life, but the kid's 3 years old. We told him the baby kitten went to go live next door at his Uncle's house. Henry was sad for a few weeks, looking around hopefully whenever we were at Grammy's but it seems to have passed. He's stopped asking where his "baby kit-ten" was, anyway.

Henry loves the indoor cats too, especially my mother's good-natured tiger cat, Scooter. Henry will do his little high-pitched cat-call. "Scootie! Yoo-Hoo! Scootie!!" Scooter would occasionally fall for this and trit-trot out of hiding only to be enthusiastically seized around the middle and dragged off to be petted and adored.
He NEVER scratched Henry through all his clumsy 3-year old pettings. Grammy said Henry could have Scootie for his very own, just that Scootie had to stay at Grammy's house. It was like giving the kid an early Christmas.
About 5 days ago, Scooter got out and was MIA. My mother called tonight to tell me that they found him. He had been hit by a car and my brother was burying him.

I suppose I can't protect him from everything, but just the thought of telling him his Scootie died just breaks my heart.