Fluffy Comes for a Sleep-Over

A few weeks ago, Fluffy went to live with Emily. From that point on, Best Friend #1 had four guinea pigs, BF#2 had a bunny, and Tara has a big fat devastating NOTHING. Predictably, Mummy, "It's not FAAAAIIIIIR!" Tara begs her way through all conceivable (reasonable) animals, from "dog" to "goldfish in a bowl" - but with that horrible, horrible mum of hers, it's just not happening.
Tara reminisces, "Oh, I remember the time when we had a caterpillar for a pet. He sat in his jar, ate a lot and pooped a lot. I took him to school. It was SUCH fun," and I feel a bit bad about the whole dilemma.
But then, hurray, Emily goes on holiday and we register first dibs on all bunny pet sitting opportunities, from now until all eternity, and Tara is much happier. "Mummy, it's like Fluffy has TWO homes now, one with Emily and one with US!"
We're a bit more like a holiday home, I point out, but Tara is much happier and spend the best part of the long weekend in question sat in front of the cage.

"Hello Emily? Yes, Fluffy is happy."

Fluffy came; Fluffy looked adorable; Fluffy pooped for England; Fluffy ate dandelion ("His favourite food! It's like sweeties to me!") and newspaper; fluffy turned his living salad over, dug his way through its soil and ate some of that too; Fluffy tried to do a runner (cue Tara: howl) but was not too comfortable under his cage once we started waving the broom up and down under it; Fluffy makes for the most unspectacular photo opportunities - and after a few happy days, The Fluffster went home.

Handsome Fluffy Fluffster

At that, the fun is not over. Leo - who's been playing along, but not quite with the same enthusiasm as Tara, pipes up now, very concerned about the business of having a pet, and wanting to know if Fluffy will come back.
"...What about Easter, will Fluffy come back at Easter?"
"At Easter, that's the Easter bunny who comes to visit and hides treats, not Fluffy."
"I don't want a bunny that gives food to people; I want a pet amlial!... For my birthday, I want to go to the pet shop."
"Why?" (Leo is big on sentences that start with "For my birthday". They are his favourite statements since last November, roughly.)
"To buy an amlial. Maybe a dog."
"Leo, we can't have a dog. There's no room in the house. We have nowhere to put a pet."
"But Mummy! Some amlials like the dark. They can stay in the dark..." He thinks briefly, "I want to buy a monster!"

We're not buying a monster. As soon as he said it, he knew it, too. "I meant a toy monster, Mummy!" We're not buying a bunny either. Or a goldfish. And no horses, Tara, no horses, even when it's really really mean to deny a kid the only one big number one wish they have put on their birthday list.