Chapter One
No Other Choice
The sweet smell of pine bedding reached my nose once again. I tried not to let it distract me. My owner had been to “busy” to feed me. Her name was Diane. I had to get her attention. I already had a plan. Plan A: Squeak your little guinea pig head off.
That night, I tried my first plan. Diane got out of her bed. She walked over to my cage, but instead of taking my bowl out to fill it, she grabbed the hiding box. She turned it over so that the opening was pressed against the wall and I couldn't get out. She gave me a mud-brown piece of paper to chew on. Then, she got back into her bed and told me to be quiet. By this time I was discouraged and half starved. I had to think of a Plan B.
Plan B: sit in my food bowl and stay there until Diane figures out that I’m out of food.
In the morning, Diane let me out and turned my box back over. I raced over to my bowl and sat in it. “Do you want to see your buddy Jazzer?” Diane asked in an overly sweet voice. I thought about it for a minute, but before I could squeak anything, Diane picked me up and we were walking down the hall.
Then the thought struck me. You know, one of those light-bulb ideas that hit you just like that. I was going to see Jazzer, an old and wise guinea pig. Okay, so he was a few days younger than me. Now, Velvet was old and wise. He was in the cage next to Jazzer. All I had to do was talk to him through the cage bars. Diane set me down gently in Jazzer’s Cage.
“Velvet, are you there?” I asked, knowing that he was probably asleep.
“What is it, Houdini?” came a drowsy voice.
“Diane hasn't fed me in days, and I don’t know what to do,” I said. “I need an idea.”
He thought for a moment. “You could escape,” he said, chewing on a carrot. I tried not to let the sound of his jaws make me slobber.
“Escape? You mean get out of my cage?” I asked, taken aback.
“Yes, but you have to promise to stop by on your way to see me, and I’ll give you a carrot.”
The words he just said echoed in my mind. I decided not to escape that day. First of all, I had to think of a way to escape without getting caught. I needed to get some sleep, anyway. I figured out the best time to escape: when Diane was at the place she called “school”. The next morning, as usual, there was a lot of noise until Diane left. It was time to escape. I had made up my mind. There was no going back now. I had no other choice.
Chapter Two
The Chase
“Velvet, are you there?” I asked again after Velvet didn't reply.
“I’m here, Houdini.” It was Velvet’s voice, but it wasn't as strong as usual. “Here is your carrot,” came the weary voice. A carrot flew out of the cage in front of me. I didn't want Velvet to get hungry, so I nibbled the carrot and stuffed one half through the bars.
“Thanks,” I said softly.
“Good…luck,” said Velvet. By this time I was confused and worried about Velvet. I climbed up his bars (just like I did getting out of my cage). I plopped down in his cage.
“What's the matter, Velvet?” I asked, concerned.
“I'm old, Houdini, I'm getting too old.”
That was all he said. “I'll just get on my way,” I said nervously.
I was only half-way to the living room, when I heard a soft rumble. There was something hot creeping around my neck. It made my hair stand on end. I slowly turned around. What I saw petrified me. It was big, black, tall, long-snouted, and very, very hairy.
“You,” snarled Sasha, Diane's border collie mixed with Australian Sheppard. “I’ve wanted to get rid of you for so long. Every day, Diane holds you instead petting me!” Her piteous whine pierced through the air. “I’m sick of you, but I’ll be fair. I’ll give you a head start.” I ran for my life and headed for a nearby couch.
“Here I come, ready or not,” said Sasha excitedly. I heard her sniffing around. All of the sudden, there was a huge chocolate-brown eye staring straight at me. Two big feet with thick claws were fiercely grabbing at me. I started to back up, but I hit something hard. I turned around, and there was the wall. My only chance was to find a way out from under the couch.
“I’ll get you if it’s the last thing I do,” Sasha said. I knew she meant it. I ran for it as soon as possible. Sasha darted after me. She shouted nasty threats, like, “As soon as I get my paws on you, I’m gonna rip your head straight off!”
I turned around and ran between Sasha’s front paws. She stopped dead in her tracks and yelped when I, in my panic, accidentally dug my claws into her paw. She yanked her leg away and ran into a room and shut herself up. I hated it when Sasha did that. She was just playing, but still. The darned dog did it with Diane too, though my owner didn't know what Sasha was doing. I carried on, avoiding all of the gigantic rocks that my people called furniture and always sat on. I came to my favorite one. It moved back and forth whenever my owner wanted it to. I decided to try and climb into it. I finally made it. I had to run back and forth to make the thing rock. I started to get hungry, so I slid off of the rock and started on my way again.
I finally got out of the living room and onto the kitchen’s ice-cold floor. I slid across tile, frantically trying to keep my balance. I heard someone chuckling to himself.
“Who’s there?” I demanded.
“Having a bit of trouble walking?” sneered the giggling voice. I looked around and saw Indigo, the blue beta.
“Oh, I’m just fine, thank you,” I said, with my nose in the air.
“Liar!” Indigo hissed.
“I am rubber, you are glue—“ I started.
“—whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks on you,” Indigo finished in his usual mocking tone.
“Am I going to have to get Misty and Midnight?” I asked, proud of myself for coming up with such a clever idea. Misty and Midnight were cats who belonged to Diane's Aunt. They lived in Virginia.
“Oh, you can’t do that. One, they live in a whole different state. Two, you would be eaten alive,” Indigo oohed. I didn’t know why he cared about me. I mean, after all, he was always threatening me.
“Then again, I could do the honors,” I said, smiling and licking my lips theatrically.
“You couldn’t hurt a flea,” he said, twirling his tail.
“What makes you think that?” I replied.
“I’ve heard Diane,” he said matter-o-factly. “ ‘You’re the sweetest little rodent! You couldn’t hurt a fly!” he said in a mocking voice.
“I wouldn’t make fun of Diane. After all, she's your owner too,” I said as Indigo rolled his eyes and swam behind his rock. After tons of struggling, I finally made it over to one of the kitchen mats.
I never got around to editing this, and I wrote this in the beginning of fourth grade. It probably isn't my best work, but....
Especially the way you turned Velvet into an old, dying mentor.
