Disclaimer: Ninja Turtles are not mine but Snowball is. Please do not sue and no flames.
Life Lesson
Splinter and the four year old turtles were looking for food and supplies in the sewers. Eventually, they came across a very tiny white ball which turned out to be a kitten.
"What is that?" Leo asked with curiosity.
"That is a kitten," Splinter replied.
"Can we keep it?" Mikey asked.
"As long as she's cared for properly," Splinter replied.
"What should we name her?" Raph asked.
"How about Snowball?" Donny suggested which the others agreed on.
Mikey carefully picked Snowball up. Then Splinter and the turtles left the area.
Back in the lair, the turtles were playing with Snowball. Splinter put down a bowl of water and gave her some kitten food that he found in the sewers.
"Meow," Snowball said. She went over to Mikey's lap and started purring as the turtles gently pet her.
"Snowball sounds happy," Leo said.
"I'm happy we got to keep her," Mikey said happily.
"I'll check her over tomorrow to make sure she's healthy," Donny said.
"Good thinking, Donny," Raph said.
Splinter entered the room and told the turtles that it was time for bed. The turtles rushed into Splinter's arms and kissed him good night. Then they released Splinter and headed for their room. Snowball headed for her cat bed, curled up in a tiny ball, and fell asleep.
When the turtles woke up the next morning, they headed right for Snowball's bed. They saw her in her bed lying flat on her side and when they pet her, she didn't respond.
"Snowball sleeps funny," Raph said.
"I hope she wakes up soon," Leo said.
Just then, Splinter entered the room and went over to Snowball. He noticed she wasn't breathing so he checked for a pulse and found nothing.
"Why is Snowball lying like that?" Mikey asked with curiosity.
"Snowball is dead," Splinter replied with sorrow.
"What's dead?" Donny inquired. "What does that mean?"
Splinter motioned for the turtles to sit down which they did. He hoped that he could explain death to the 4 year old turtles in a way that they could understand.
"Dead is when a living creature stops moving and is no longer breathing," Splinter explained. "Dead creatures can no longer do the things that we can still do."
"Can we still play with Snowball?" Leo asked.
"I am afraid you cannot," Splinter said with regret.
"What can we do with her?" Raph asked.
"We can either bury her or cremate her," Splinter replied.
"What's bury and cremate?" Donny asked with curiosity.
"Burying is where you put a dead creature in the ground," Splinter explained. "Cremating is where the body is burned in a very hot oven and is turned to ashes."
"I want to play with Snowball," Mikey said, the floodgates opening.
"I am afraid that is not possible," Splinter said gently with sorrow.
Donny wrapped his arms around Mikey who returned the gesture and broke down completely. Donny gently rubbed his brother's shell and rocked him back and forth.
"You all right, Mikey?" Leo asked with concern, wrapping his arms around Mikey who shook his head.
"What's going on with Mikey?" Raph asked with concern.
"Your brother is releasing the pain of losing a loved one," Splinter replied. "We may have only known Snowball for less than a day but she was a joy to us for the short time that she was with us."
The turtles wrapped their arms around each other and squeezed tightly. When they released each other a few minutes later, all of their faces were soaked.
Splinter gathered the turtles in his arms and they returned the gesture. All of them held each other for a long time.
While the turtles were sleeping, Splinter turned on the oven so Snowball could be cremated. He got an empty jar for the ashes to go, put Snowball on a cookie sheet, and put her body in the oven.
After the body was cremated, Splinter put the ashes in the empty jar which he put in a safe place. Then he retired to his room.
The following morning, Splinter carried the jar with the ashes through the sewers with the turtles following him. Eventually, they stopped and Splinter sat down with the jar and the turtles did the same.
"Each of you will grab a handful of ashes and gently blow them off your hand," Splinter explained. "After that, I shall pour the remaining ashes into the water."
Splinter took off the lid and the turtles grabbed a handful of ashes. Each of the turtles said goodbye to Snowball and then gently blew the ashes off their hands.
Splinter gave the eulogy as he slowly poured the ashes into the water. Then he put the lid on the jar and threw the jar into the water.
The turtles and Splinter wrapped their arms around each other. All of them allowed the floodgates to open.
A little later, Splinter and the turtles returned to the lair. They went over to the sofa and sat down.
"Any of you have any questions?" Splinter inquired.
"Why did Snowball have to die?" Mikey asked.
"I am not sure but it might be possible that she was too small to survive."
"I want her to still be alive so she can run around and play with us."
Donny gently wrapped his arms around Mikey who returned the gesture grateful for the comfort. Both turtles squeezed each other tightly.
"Are any of us going to die?" Leo asked.
"Someday we will but hopefully not anytime soon," Splinter replied.
Leo and Splinter wrapped their arms around each other. A few seconds later, Raph joined in and the three of them squeezed each other tightly.
Later on, the turtles got into their beds and Splinter tucked them in and kissed them good night. Then he left the room and the turtles slowly drifted off to sleep.
The End