Remembering Twinkle Dot

Born in February of 2025, one of eight tiny piglets to rescued mumma Petunia, he was the smallest. The runty one. Slow to get going and slower still to grow. Veterinary assessments would later tell us what, in our hearts, we already knew: Twinky faced congenital challenges, including some cognitive impairment, and his life was unlikely to be a long one.

But no diagnosis could measure his joy.  And no prognosis could dim his sparkle or his ability to dig—whether that was in the soil or hearts, little Twinky did both with demonstrable glee.

Because Twinky, or Twinky D to his friends, had a way of living that was entirely his own. He loved gently, rooted enthusiastically, scripted his life well, and approached the world with a snout so vigorous we began to suspect there was more than a little mole in the mix. In fact, he and his beloved Reggie had recently been enlisted to help turn over our smaller paddocks, a task Twinky accepted with great seriousness and considerable excavation.

He gave us scares along the way with moments of disorientation and times when something in his little body seemed to falter. But each time, dear Twinky twinkled back.

Until this morning.

This morning was different. And though we knew it, perhaps mercifully, Twinky did not. The sparkle had gone from him, and with the vet’s gentle guidance, we let him leave before suffering could claim him.

Beside him, as ever, was Reggie. The big brother who so often wore toughness like armour, yet whenever Twinky faltered he became all softness. He doted on him, guarded him, letting him lean close and even letting him steal warmth, space and sometimes even grapes.

Tonight, there is a hollow in Reggie’s straw bed and in all our hearts.

But we find comfort knowing that Twinky now joins his beloved siblings who went before him, Spotty Dot and Wilbur.

And even in his passing, Twinky still leaves us with something bright. A little spotted truth that a life need not be long to be full. That joy can root itself deep, even in fragile ground. And that some stars do not shine for years and years.