Clara’s Hamster

Note: this story doesn’t have a happy ending…

Last December, my sister-in-law talked to us about buying a hamster and cage for our nine-year-old daughter Clara.  I was a little hesitant, but we said yes.  It was the right choice.  Come Christmas, we went to my in-laws’ place and swapped gifts.  When it was Clara’s turn, we brought her back to the bedroom so she could see the little teddy bear hamster in his new cage.

Her reaction was pure, wide-eyed, hands-over-the-mouth joy.  She’s always loved animals.  She has a fish, and she’s raised frogs and butterflies, but this was different.  This was rainbows and unicorns and true love at first sight.  She named him Sammy.

She took better care of that little guy than I ever did with my pets as a kid.  He nipped her a few times in the beginning, but she was very patient, making sure he got to play every day, that he got his treats, and eventually taming him so she could pet him and carry him around.

And then he figured out how to open his cage.

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Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.