Sample Sunday

From Kiwi and the missing Magic

  “Who’s Hammy?” asked Whiskers again, but James didn’t reply as he scooped up the mouse and leant over to his hamster’s cage. Hammy sat eating a sunflower seed. “Sorry Hammy,” said James, “but you have a roommate for a little while. Hope that’s ok with you.”

   Hammy stopped eating the sunflower seed and stared up at James with wide eyes. James opened the door of the big cage and popped his hand through. Out popped two white ears and a wriggly nose. Whiskers landed with a small bump and James quickly closed the cage door. He sat back on the bed. Kiwi jumped on to his lap. Amy sat watching the action. Hammy dropped the sunflower seed and backed away. Whiskers seemed to size him up and realising that he, again, was smaller, he backed away in the opposite direction. The hamster and the mouse stood on their back legs watching each other.

   “It’s like a gunfight in a Western,” whispered Amy.

   “Hope he doesn’t attack Hammy,” said James.

   “I don’t think he will,” said Kiwi. “But we’re here if he does.”

   James nodded, although he looked a bit worried.

In the cage, the two creatures continued to stare at one another. They didn’t move an inch. In between them the sunflower seed lay where Hammy had dropped it. Another ten minutes past.

   “Dinner...” called their mum from downstairs.

   “Oh no...” said James.

   “Bad timing,” whispered Amy.

   In the cage, the hamster and the mouse had locked their eyes on each other. There was a staring contest going on and neither of them wanted to give in. Suddenly, there was a small rumbling sound and the mouse looked down at his stomach. He pulled a slight face. A flicker of a smile sped across Hammy’s face. The mouse was hungry. Whiskers felt his belly and swallowed. There on the ground the sunflower seed sparkled like the Holy Grail. Mmmmm. Lovely. He could smell it. And it smelt good.

   Just then, Hammy saw him looking and took a slight step forward. The stranger wasn’t going to nick his sunflower seed if he could help it. Whiskers saw him move and stepped forward also. His stomach rumbled again. He couldn’t remember when he last ate. It looked so delicious. He looked up and saw the other strange creature staring at him with a look that said ‘don’t you dare’. Whiskers ignored it and sprung forward. In one fast action he sprung on the seed, squished it into his mouth and leapt backwards.