PET My Elongated Rat Finished

Reducio

The definiton of a ferret was: 'a domesticated polecat used chiefly for catching rabbits', but that googled reply didn't help answer Nora's question of what these crazy little things were any better. She switched over to images, which flashed her with hundreds of photos of the estranged creatures. This wasn't much, but at least now she could see what they actually looked like without having to wait for them to calm down. Not that there was much to see. Sure, they were cute, but the elongated rat look was a bit... odd.

And that's why they were her favourite. Piggy Pugs (is that what they're called?) were cool and all, but who wants a colourful ball of fur as a pet? Most of the monstrosities reminded her of those cheap stuffies that you could get at the dollar store, the one's whose fur slowly eroded over time. So, no, thanks. The other options (cats, owls, toads, spiders, etc.) also seemed kind of boring. Nora herself had owned a cat when she was younger (Nonni), but they hadn't really clicked. Most of the time that she was even around him, he would run, run, run as far as his stubby legs could take him. And owls? Ew. Bird droppings might be one of Nora's least favourite things, ever since a big gallop of it had landed on her hat during a play. Nora also disagreed with spiders (creepy), toads (slimy), bunnies (she'd seen the Holy Grail a bit too much) and fish (she had a dream once; don't question it), so she was left with only one option: a ferret.

She'd already chosen one of the quieter ones, but what to name it? Her dad had once said that he'd wanted to name her Oona instead of Nora, but that sounded a bit off. Besides, she had a friend named Unna, whom she didn't exactly love. Maybe Oonie? Yes, she liked that. It was cute, but also unique enough.

"Hey, mom!" called Nora, "Come look at this ferret."

Her mom, toting a small red purse, wandered over. "Is that what you want, honey?"

"Can I?"

"Of course," she answered, "How much is it?"

Nora opened her mouth to reply but--

"She's fifteen galleons," replied a sweet voice from behind Nora, who turned to see a middle aged women, wearing a flowery dress. Ah, it must be the shopkeeper.

Nora's mom smiled widely, she was a social butterfly, "Thank you, ma'am."

Nora nodded her thanks, watching as her mom got into an in-depth discussion with the shopkeeper on how to care for a ferret. After what seemed like ages, the woman pulled Oonie from her cage.

"There you go," she said, passing the ferret over, "Have you chosen her name yet?"

Nora ducked her head, mumbling her chosen name as she petted Oonie's fur.

"Ladybug, you need to speak up," Nora's mom whispered, "This nice lady can't hear you."

Nora looked up. "Her name's Oonie. Oonie De Carie." She paused. "Yeah."

"That's very nice," was all that was said, and once they paid, Nora left the store with a grin on her face. She and Oonie were going to have some fun times.

531 words. #420c55.

What animal do you wish to purchase? European Ferret
What do you want to name it? Oonie
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? August 4th 2022