The Bookmarks Fons Kept

A fictional remembrance story set in Belgium.

Anouk owned a small secondhand bookshop beside a canal in Ghent. Her pet ferret, Fons, spent his days exploring the shelves and greeting customers from behind the counter.

Fons had one mischievous habit. He stole bookmarks.

Whenever Anouk left one unattended, Fons carried it beneath an old velvet chair. She often laughed and wondered why so many bookmarks disappeared.

After Fons passed away, the bookshop felt strangely still. Weeks later, Anouk moved the chair and discovered a hidden collection of colourful bookmarks beneath it.

There were dozens of them.

Holding those tiny stolen treasures, she laughed and cried at the same time.

Anouk ordered a FurLunea Pet Memorial Plaque with Fons’s portrait and placed it on the bookshelf beside his collection.

The plaque was engraved with the words:

Fons

You always found what I thought was lost.

Now, every book purchased from Anouk’s shop receives one of Fons’s bookmarks.

In this small way, his mischievous spirit continues travelling home with every reader.