The Halloween Event and Grief - A Thank You

My husband and I decided to finally do the Halloween event tonight, not wanting to miss out on this year's rewards. We met up by the Falador farming patch and started up the quest, figuring it wouldn't take too long, like they usually do. I read through the dialog, asked Marika about her loss to offer some comfort, and once they mentioned that their loved one loved cats, I smiled!

When I saw that the pumpkin image was actually a color coded chart for a picture of a cat, I laughed aloud, already thoroughly enjoying this event more than any other event I've ever taken part of in the game, simply because it's concept was relatable, simple, fun, and featured cats. We both adore cats, and have three. I plucked all the wrong pumpkins, planted the correct ones, and went back over to talk to Marika again through a cut scene.

My heart was unprepared for the ghostly black cat that appeared, and Marika asking, "Is that you?"

I broke down bawling. I'm still crying as I type this.

We lost our tuxedo kitten, Kricket, to feline leukemia in August. She was only 11 months old, but we loved her so intensely that the loss of her has been unlike any other pet we have ever had. She was such a beautiful spirit, energetic, spunky, and sweet. She was so healthy until the last month of her life, when the leukemia caused lymphoma to develop in her chest and lungs with such fierceness, there was nothing we could do.

My husband watched me from his computer table, letting me have my space, probably assuming the cat references had triggered something but he stayed close so I wasn't alone. It took me a good five minutes to compose myself, and as he wasn't done with the event, I did warn him that there was a ghostly cat and an interaction with the NPC, so he wouldn't be caught off guard.

Seeing the ghost cat, all of my grief came to the surface at once, within a second, before I really comprehended what I was seeing.

And I am grateful. Marika's interaction with the cat was comforting, and I know that our baby is not hurting anymore, and is still with us everywhere we go. I know that Jagex hangs around on here, and I just wanted to thank them for putting so much effort and care and thought into this game that both me and my husband love. Kricket loved it too. She loved chasing the numbers as they floated up the montior, just like we do.

Sometimes its the little things that pop up like this event did that heal my heart more than anything else. Thank you, Jagex, and thank you for reading. And I wish nothing but the best for all the others that are dealing with their own grief and loss.

Kricket, laying in bed with her stuffed plush Gray, who she suckled on every night before bed