White Wilbur

One of the saddest of stories. Wilbur was five, bonded to his "mom" and she had to move and could not take him. They had been such close companions that when brought here Wilbur decided to just die. I had to force feed him, drag him in out of the rain... make him live long enough to take an interest in a new life. After 2 months he finally started coming out of it. And his "mom" came to visit for a few days, which helped him realize his life had some continuity after all. After she left he began to settle in and she made plans to visit as often as she could.

Then she was diagnosed with cancer, a particularly bad one. After her chemo was over and she could travel she came to see him again. They were so happy to see each other. He ran in circles and she laughed and it was wonderful. But she was still weak and got sick and had to leave. White Wilbur lay in the driveway after she left, staring after her with despair in his eyes. He lay there all night, refusing to go to his barn to sleep. Perhaps he sensed what I didn't. She wouldn't be back.