The missing slipper collection

To Oscar!

Living with our ferret, Oscar, meant accepting that things occasionally disappeared. First it was my slipper. Then my husband lost his. We blamed each other until I saw Oscar dragging a third slipper down the hallway, stopping twice as though it was exhausting work.

His collection was behind a low cupboard: three slippers, a soft toy and a cloth bag we had been looking for all week. We cleared the hiding place and made sure he couldn’t get stuck there. He watched us remove everything, then immediately tried to take back my slipper.