“Ring! Ring!” The alarm was ringing and Sam got up. He had small eyes and he was short. He was stretching on his bed. At first sight, he saw his mother. She had a big smile on her face and she was standing in front of Sam. She said, “Rise and shine! Your cousin Ben will come over this morning and you will play with him this afternoon.

Sam sighed in his heart, “Oh no. That little monster. I’m sure he will break other things this time.” Ben is 5 years old and last time, he broke Sam’s favourite car model into pieces and it scattered on the floor. However, he was shameless and didn’t care about it. Mum didn’t tell him off as he was still young, which made Sam angry. Last month, Sam bought a hamster, Tom, from the pet shop. It was small and cute. Sam loved it very much. He was terrified that Ben would harm it. Therefore, he sneaked Tom into his schoolbag and decided to bring it to school.

“At least it’s a safer place,” he thought. He ate breakfast and went to school.

At school, he opened his school bag to assure Tom was inside when nobody's looking. He wasn’t paying attention to the lesson as he was thinking whether Tom would be lost. When it was recess time, he opened his backpack and ensured Tom was there.

When he arrived home, Ben was there and he was horsing around the house. He was looking at all the things and playing with them as usual, but he didn’t break or destroy them. Sam was afraid that Ben would open his school bag and take the hamster out. Indeed, Ben opened the place that the books were but not the place where the hamster is inside. Sam was shivering and afraid if Ben would take the hamster out.

Therefore, Sam switched his attention. He talked about board games with Ben and played with him. Ben was happy but Sam was frustrated and annoyed as Ben was making a mess of his room. When they were playing the games, suddenly, “Squeak!’

Sam said to himself, “It should be the hamster that is talking. But no problem, because I have fed him twice this morning.”

All of a sudden, Ben asked, “What’s that sound?” Sam just said uneasily,” I… was just pretending the sound of the mice.” Ben didn’t say anything after and Sam was relieved.

At 9pm, Ben left after they had eaten dinner and watched TV. Mum walked to the hamster cage, preparing to feed it. He was over the moon as Ben didn’t notice and “played” with the hamster Tom. He was ready to open his schoolbag, and took out the hamster box. That being said - he was shocked and horrified. The hamster’s eyes were closed and it wasn’t moving. The fur was off and its face was a little white. He was dead. Tears rolled down Sam’s face and he told his mother as he was sure that Ben didn’t know about the hamster. He asked his mother what had happened.

He asked his mum, “What did you do to my hamster? Why is it dead now?”

His mother said, “Tom was dead because he didn’t have any oxygen in your closed school bag. It couldn't breathe. Besides, you fed him too much this morning and I saw it. It can’t eat so many things in one go.“

Sam knew what his mother meant but he was just sobbing alone in his blanket the whole night. He regretted that he didn’t trust his little cousin and did harm to Tom the hamster.

Hiding the Hamster