The Hamsters that Save the Day

Kiki and Marina were about the cutest rodents ever.  They were a pair of Robo dwarf hamsters, one of the smallest kinds in the world.  They were mainly white, but each had a broken pattern of darker fur on their back.  Marina’s was tan, while Kiki’s was darker but not quite black.  They both were incredibly soft and fun to pet, when they could be petted.  They had tiny pink noses that twitched ever so adorably, and fine little whiskers, and little black eyes that seemed to see all around them at once.  

They were each only two inches long, although Marina was almost twice as wide as Kiki – she really liked to eat her food.  Marina liked her food so much, in fact, that she had taken to biting Kiki anytime the littler hamster would try and eat in their food bowl.  Which was why the hamsters were now in two separate little cages of wire and plastic, side by side on their owner’s dresser.

That owner was a little girl named Eleanor.  She was only six (almost seven, she’d tell you), and she loved her pet hamsters.  She loved watching them run around, she loved it when they stood still.  She loved it when they ate their food and drank their water, and when they ran up the tubes to the “petting zones” at the top of their cages.  She loved it when they buried themselves in their gray bedding, and she couldn’t see them until they poked their little noses up.  

She loved watching them run on their wheels.  They were little clowns, constantly running as fast as their little legs would go.  It was especially funny when they would be going super fast, then suddenly try to stop.  The speed of the wheel would carry them over and they’d plop down on their backs.  Sometimes they’d stay there, stunned for a second, but they always got back up and went right back to running.  Or eating.  Or drinking.  Or any of the other cute things they did.

Eleanor loved her hamsters so much that she’d act like a hamster at home and school.  She’d scrunch up her face and put her hands by her chin to make a “hamster face.”  She’d run in place like she was running on a wheel.  She’d even stop and act like she was falling over.  She loved playing hamster.  Sometimes her dad would even play along, making various hamster faces – “happy hamster,” “angry hamster,” “naughty hamster,” and “silly hamster” were her favorites.  Sometimes they’d be two hamsters, and sometimes she’d be the owner of her dad as a hamster, offering him imaginary treats to get him to be nice.

Eleanor especially loved the time, once a week, when her dad would help her clean their cages.   That was supposed to be the only time she held them, with her daddy watching.  It was so much fun to have the little furballs run from her one hand to another, over and over.  The only problem was that sometimes they’d decide to run somewhere else, like up her arm or onto the floor. Then they’d have to try to chase the little hamster down. 

This could be a lot trickier than it sounded, because the little hamsters were very quick.  Fortunately, they didn’t realize all the places they could hide in Eleanor’s room, like under the bed or between her dresser and the wall.  They wouldn’t run under her bed skirt or into other dark places, which was very lucky.  Still, when they got out it could take ten minutes to finally corner them and get them back in their cages.

One morning, Eleanor got home from school and ran up to her room to see her hamsters.  Most of the time, they were asleep during the day.   But today, for whatever reason, the hamsters were up and running around.    They both seemed to be looking at her as she came up to the cages.

“Hey, cuties!  How are you today?”  she said, sticking her fingers out towards their noses.  The two little animals actually came up to the bars of their cages to sniff her.  Kiki even stood up on her back paws and brought her front paws up like she was begging Eleanor to let her out.  At least, that’s what it looked like to Eleanor.  Marina wasn’t quite as interested, but still was looking right at Eleanor instead of eating or running on her wheel. 

Eleanor knew she wasn’t supposed to do it.  But she just couldn’t look at Kiki any longer without getting her out of the cage.  Quietly, hoping her father wouldn’t hear, she opened the door to Kiki’s cage and extended her hand.  Kiki ran right out on to it, then stood up.  She stayed still as Eleanor brought her hand back.

This never happened.  The moment that Eleanor had picked up Kiki in the past, she’d immediately started running.  Eleanor had to either pass her hands one over another or use both hands to keep her from squirming away.  This was weird, but Eleanor was very happy as Kiki let her pet her head and body with her other hand.

Then, it got even stranger.  Kiki reached out with one paw and pointed at Marina’s cage.  Marina, for her part, stood up by the door to her cage.  Eleanor didn’t know what to think, but she knew that she wanted to get Marina out.  Making sure that she didn’t make any more noise, she reached out with her left hand and flipped open Marina’s cage.  Marina crawled out onto her hand and then just sat there, twitching her nose.

Eleanor couldn’t believe it.  She never got to hold one of them like this, much less both of them.  This was great!  Just then, though, she heard her father coming up stairs. 

“Honey, where are you?”

Eleanor was suddenly very scared.  She knew she’d be in big trouble if her father caught her like this.  She tried to shove Marina back in her cage.  But Marina wouldn’t get off her hand.  She tried to put Kiki back, but she wasn’t moving either.  Finally, in a panic she just dropped them both on her dresser and ran out to head off her father.  She hoped they would be okay.

When she was gone, Kiki looked at Marina and nodded.  Marina reached a paw into her mouth and pulled out a long, thin string.  She wrapped one end around the cage and let the other down the side of the dresser.  Kiki carefully climbed her way down the string, in a way that no hamster should have been able to.  When she reached the ground she gave it a tug, signaling Marina to follow.  Marina started off well enough, but when she was still a foot off the ground lost her grip and fell with a thud next to Kiki.

“Squeak!”  said Kiki, which in hamster meant “I told you not to eat so much!”

“Squeak! Squeak squeak squeak!” replied Marina, which meant “I slipped, that’s all!  Anyways, I was hungry.  You don’t have to be so mean, you know!”

At this Kiki looked over, and seemed to consider saying something in response – maybe something about all the bite marks on her backside from Marina and about who was really mean.  But they were on a mission, and she needed to get moving if they were going to get it done on time.

As she ran out into the hallway, Kiki kept an eye out for Eleanor.  She felt bad about getting the little girl involved in this, and hoped she wouldn’t get in too much trouble.  But this call – Kiki and Marina’s first since being placed here by the Animal Secret Agent Program or ASAP – had come in just before Eleanor came in the room.  Kiki couldn’t very well open up her own cage in front of her owner. 

Behind her, Marina’s breathing was becoming louder as they ran down the stairs and towards the secret door ASAP had set up for them to get in and out of the house undetected.  To anyone more than an inch off the ground, it looked like the white trim on the floor boards was whole.  But there was actually a spring loaded door that would bend inwards when Kiki pushed on it, revealing a short tunnel through the wall to a matching door on the outside. 

At least, that was what Kiki had been told when she was being trained.  But that was months ago, and she’d never had a chance to try it out.  To open it, Kiki had to run full speed at the door and hit it head first.  If she missed, or the door wasn’t there, she could get badly hurt.  Plus she’d be stuck out in the open, and the mission would fail.

As she was thinking about all this, she could hear Marina’s labored breathing behind her.  Kiki knew Marina ran on the wheel every night like Kiki did, but apparently she hadn’t stayed in very good shape.  Kiki thought about going on alone, but rule number one of training was to never leave your partner.  So instead she took a deep breath and ran straight at where the hole was supposed to be . . .

Pop!

And she was in a tunnel.  She stopped for a second, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light inside.  She realized this was the space in the wall.  She moved down a little, just in time to avoid getting run over by Marina coming in from outside.

“Wow, that was exciting!  I thought you were going to smash yourself, then you disappeared!”  Marina squeaked.

“Shh!  We aren’t out of the house yet!”  Squeaked Kiki.  Marina sat back on her haunches, obviously upset.

“Well, if you are going to be mean, maybe I’ll just stay here.”  Kiki sighed.  She didn’t want to put up with Marina if she was going to be moody the whole time.  But she might need her help.

“I’m sorry, Marina.  I didn’t want to be mean, we just need to be careful.  Come here – we need to push the door open and get outside.”

Both of the hamsters shoved their weight against the door on the opposite side.  When it cracked open, bright sunlight poured into the tunnel and Kiki was momentarily blinded.  As her eyes adjusted, she could only see green and brown.  She realized that the hole must come out in the planter in front of the house.  The brown was the dirt in the planter, the green was a bush.  She knew from her briefing that this ended in about a foot and she’d be out on the lawn after that, but she couldn’t see if there was anyone or anything out past the bush.   She had to cross the lawn, the street and another lawn to get to her target.  Oh well, Kiki thought, at least if I can’t see them they can’t see me.

Easing her body out past the door, Kiki dropped an inch or so to the ground with a soft plop.  She turned around and held open the door for Marina, who came tumbling out.

“What now?”  Marina hissed in Kiki’s ear.  To Kiki, it sounded like shouting.

“Shh!  We don’t know if anything’s out there,” she said.  Too late, she realized that she sounded loud and mean – again.

“DON’T SHUSH ME, KIKI!  YOU ARE SO MEAN!” Marina squeaked at the top of her lungs.   

Kiki was desperate to get her to quiet down, but she was afraid that anything she said would just make Marina more upset.

“I’m sorry, Marina.  Really, I am.  I’m just scared.  Please be quiet.  Okay?” she squeaked out in a rush. 

“I DON’T CARE IF YOU ARE SCARED.  I’M SCARED TOO.  I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ANYMORE!” and Marina pulled out what seemed to Kiki like a very long chew stick and turned away from her.  The only sound from her was teeth gnawing on wood.

In the sudden silence, Kiki felt like she was being watched.  Slowly turning her head, she could see a shadow coming through the bush, but couldn’t quite make out the shape.  She became aware of a sound she had heard before, back in the house.  It sounded a little wet and a little raspy, and very quick.  Kiki scooted forward carefully, hoping to find a spot to see through the bush.  When she did, what she saw made her feel very small and scared.

It was the family dog, Lucky.  While to people she looked like a small, black dog, standing barely a foot off the ground at her highest point, to Kiki she looked like a huge wall standing between her and her target.   Kiki didn’t think the dog would try to hurt her.  She hadn’t barked at them or anything in their cages.  But that was with the bars of the cage between them, so she couldn’t be sure.

Plus, whether Lucky tried to hurt her or not, she could definitely mess up Kiki’s plans.  If she started barking, or just followed them to closely, the dog would ruin any chance of the mission staying secret.  And if she just playfully bit at Kiki, Lucky could crush her.  Kiki had to find a way to get the dog out of her way.

Kiki tried to remember what she’d been taught about dogs in training.  She knew she couldn’t speak to Lucky, at least in a way the dog would understand.  But she might be able to get the dog to move.  Dogs chase things like balls and sticks, she remembered.  They would even run farther away than you actually threw a stick if you got them excited enough.  So if she just had a stick . . .

Turning back to Marina, Kiki saw that she was gnawing on a chew stick that was almost as long as 

Marina was.  How can she fit something that big in her cheek pouches?  Kiki thought, but only for a second.  She was much more interested in the stick itself.  It wasn’t very big – it would look like a fat toothpick to the dog, but if she could throw it fast and hard enough maybe Lucky would chase it.

“What?”  squeaked Marina, seeing Kiki staring at her.  Quietly, Kiki explained what she wanted to do and why.  Although at first it looked like she wouldn’t, Marina eventually handed over the stick.

“This better work.  And when we get back, you owe me a chew stick,” Marina said.

“I hope it will work.  And if we get back, you can have anything of mine you want.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

“Just be ready to run when you see Lucky run off.”

Kiki turned back again, stick in hand.  She waved it a few times to get Lucky’s attention.  She saw the dog’s head move back and forth with the stick, and silently counted down in her head.

“3…2….1…throw!” and she threw the stick just as hard as she could off to her left.  It wasn’t much of a throw, only moving the stick about a foot or so.  But Kiki was very lucky – the stick landed in the next bush over, and Lucky rand right into the bush looking for it.  Kiki could tell the stick was up high in the bush, but Lucky was looking for it on the ground, where she must think it would have fallen if it hadn’t gotten stuck.  It looked like this would keep the dog busy for a while.

Kiki looked back at Marina, nodded toward the lawn and then headed out of the bush.  For the next minute, she didn’t do anything but breathe and run, hoping the whole time that no one was watching.  She barely noticed when the lawn gave out and switched first to concrete and then asphalt, then back to concrete and finally lawn again.  When she finally stopped, she was surprised to find that Marina had kept up with her.  Maybe the stick had been holding her back before, or maybe it was just the situation, but whatever the reason Kiki was glad her partner had made it.  Now, they just needed to find a way in the target house.

According to the ASAP commander, this house was the home of a computer hacker who had been trying to tap into ASAP’s files.  The ASAP team had been able to knock out the hacker’s connection remotely, but not before at least a few agent files were accessed.  The hacker hadn’t gotten into most of the files, but there was no telling what he or she could do with the information they had gotten.   So Kiki and Marina were supposed to get in, confirm the hacker’s actions and destroy anything that they could.  Kiki had been taught how to destroy the files from the inside with computer code if she could find them, and she and Marina could always just chew up the cords and guts of a computer if they had no other choice.

Still, the problem now was how to get into what should be a pretty well guarded house.  Kiki expected to find all sorts of security systems, including motion detectors and lasers.  But as she ran up the lawn, she realized that it looked like the front door was wide open.  As she and Marina neared the opening, Kiki slowed down, afraid of what might happen.  Marina felt no such concerns, and ran past her.

“What, you chicken?”  Marina squeaked as she ran past.  Kiki didn’t say anything, but followed, cautiously. 

Inside, the house (or at least what Kiki could see of it) looked a lot like their house.  They went down the hall where the ASAP briefing said the hacker’s signal was coming from.  As she went, Kiki noticed toys all over the floor, sort of like what Eleanor did in her room.  Maybe that was why the door was open – a child left it that way? 

The room the signal came from look a lot like Eleanor’s, with a cage on a desk and a mess everywhere.  But the room seemed to mainly be in blue, not pink, and there were more things Kiki knew were called cars and trucks.  There was also a laptop computer sitting open on the desk within view of the cage.  Kiki couldn’t quite see what was in the cage, but she assumed it was a hamster or gerbil.

“Okay, I guess we have to figure out how to get up there.” She squeaked at Marina.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired.  Let’s do this the easy way for once, okay?”  and Marina turned away.  A few moment of grunting followed, and then Marina turned back.  In her hands was what looked like a small gun with a hook sticking out the end and a fishing reel at the other.

“What is that?”  Kiki squeaked in amazement.  Just what else could Marina have stored in her cheeks?

“It is a grappling hook shooter, and your ticket to the next level.  Now, step back and let me get a clear shot.”  Kiki, still stunned by this latest turn of events, complied without a word.

Marina took aim and fired.  With a low hiss the hook shot out of the gun and up out of sight, landing with a clink above.  Marina tugged at it to make sure it was secure, then turned and handed it to Kiki.

“Just hold the gun tight, and pull the trigger – the winding mechanism will pull you up.”

“Aren’t you coming too?”

“We can’t go together.  It won’t take the weight.  You can toss the gun back down if you need me.”

“Then what will you be doing?”

“I’ll find somewhere out of the way to keep a watch.  I’ll squeak if I see anyone coming.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.  Off you go.” 

With a tug on the line and a pull on the trigger, Kiki started to move up.  Slowly at first and then faster the line zipped back into the gun.  Coming up on the top of the desk, Kiki put out her paw and grabbed on to it, pulling herself over the edge.    She pulled the hook out of the desk and put the reset gun down near the computer.

Once that was done, she took a closer look around.  The desk was covered with papers full of coloring sheets like Eleanor put on her walls, only these were full of scary looking monsters and airplanes.  The cage looked empty to Kiki, but she guessed that whatever creature lived in it was asleep under the bedding like she wished she could be right now.  That was okay - the less anyone saw, the better.  Kiki worried that the hacker might see the damage the hook had done, small as it was, and tried to cover it up with some of the papers.

Next, she turned her attention to the computer.  She was surprised to find it didn’t have a password.  So hopefully she’d be able to find the files quickly, and Marina could stay on the ground.  That sounded like a good thing. 

It also seemed weird that the computer was still on.  No one seemed to be around, but the screen hadn’t gone dark or to a screen saver.  Whoever had been using it must have just left.  That meant she’d have to hurry.  Looking at the screen, she couldn’t see any evidence of the files.  She also noticed that the screen was very dim for some reason.  Using her paws on the touchpad, she moved the cursor over to downloads and clicked. 

There they were - 10 ASAP files.  It looked like the hacker had been interrupted before he (Kiki was pretty sure this was a boy’s room now) could open any of them.  That was even more good news.

She clicked on the first file to open it.  When it came up, she ran over the keys in the special sequence she had been taught.  This would set up the file to self destruct when the hacker or anyone else tried to access it.  By doing this instead of just destroying it directly, the idea was that the hacker might think all the files at ASAP were rigged to self destruct and stop trying to get them. 

Kiki finished the first file, closed it up and moved on to the next one.  She was on the fourth one when she got the feeling someone was watching her.  Finishing it, she looked over at the cage and found a hamster staring back at her.

It was not just any hamster, either.  It was the biggest, fattest, whitest hamster Kiki had ever seen.  It’s pink eyes stared at her, but it shielded its eyes from the light. It was an albino giant hamster, the largest species in the world.  And it didn’t seem happy with Kiki.

“What do you think you are doing?” it squeaked.  It’s squeak was much louder and deeper than anything Kiki or Marina could make.  The sound, and its size, made it clear Kiki would be in real trouble if this came to a fight of some kind.  She just had to hope it was on her side.  Or at least was stuck in the cage.

“Just making sure the Animal Secret Agent Program stays safe,” she replied as she went for the fifth file.  She thought about tossing the gun down to Marina, but she didn’t even think the two of them could fight off this monster if it came to that.  Better to just try and finish the job.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.  The boy is very picky about his computer.  He’ll get upset.”  Kiki kept working, finishing the fifth file and moving on to the sixth.

“Well, then he shouldn’t go to places he isn’t supposed to,” she said, finishing the sixth and moving on to the seventh.

“But he never does anything he isn’t supposed to,” came the squeak from the other side.

“Well someone sure went where they weren’t supposed to,” Kiki replied, and finished the seventh file.  She did the eighth and ninth without interruption, and was on the tenth before the other hamster said anything else.

“Oh, I know he didn’t do it.”  This time the squeak was right behind her.  She turned and found to her horror that the huge white hamster was standing over her.  Still, she managed to finish and get out of the file before she confronted the beast.

“What do you mean?”

“I did it.  And now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to undo whatever it is you’ve done to my files.”  Kiki was stunned.  Why would any hamster want to get the ASAP files?  The ASAP was there to protect animals.

“They aren’t your files – they are the property of ASAP.”

“Oh yes, the precious Animal Secret Agent Program.  The program that won’t let albinos or giant hamsters in their special little club.  Claiming our eyes are too weak or we can’t do work outside.”

“Is that why you took the files?  Because you are mad at people at ASAP?”  This didn’t seem like much of a reason to Kiki.

“Oh, I’m not mad – I’m furious!  If they won’t have me, then I’ll destroy them.  And make some money for myself.  Now, please start undoing the damage.”

“You are crazy if you think I’ll help you.”  Kiki said.  The monster hamster just laughed.

“What choice do you have, little one?  I am bigger and stronger than you.  I can rip you to pieces right here.  So just do what I say.”  And to emphasize his point the hamster flashed the longest, yellowest and sharpest teeth Kiki had ever seen. 

Kiki knew she couldn’t fight this beast.  Not on her own.  But if she and Marina could get away, she didn’t think the giant hamster could follow them.  Those pink eyes wouldn’t let it go outside in the middle of the day.  If she could somehow get away . . .  

Kiki  saw the grappling hook gun and suddenly had an idea.  She lunged for it, hoping she’d be able to shoot it over to the back of the chair and swing down.  But the albino hamster surprised her with his speed, knocking the gun over the edge of the desk with a swipe of his paw.

“Oh, did I throw away your toy?  I’m so sorry,” he squeaked sarcastically.  “Now, then, where were we?  Oh yes, you were fixing my files.”

Kiki thought about her choices here.  She would not let this monster have the files. But was she really ready to die for ASAP?  Maybe she could do something else.  She turned back to the computer.  She noticed that one of the keys in the top row had a sun symbol on it.  She leapt up, but her head down, closed her eyes and mashed the button as often as she dared.

She could feel the screen get suddenly brighter.   She heard a pained squeak behind her.  As she had hoped, the albino was blinded briefly.  It wouldn’t last, but maybe it would be just enough for her to get away. 

Desperately she ran along the edge of the desk, looking for a way down.  She could hear the giant hamster stumbling around by the computer.  She hoped he would leave her alone, but she knew that was unlikely.

Kiki couldn’t see a way down, no matter where she ran.  The albino hamster was between her and the chair, so that was not an option.  The desk sat on four metal tubes for legs, too wide and slick for her to grip.  There were no drawers, and the bed was too far from the desk for her to jump.  If she jumped straight to the ground, she might make it – or she might break any number of bones.

She ran all the way around the desk to the cage.  It was like hers, with a wire frame, a door that was standing open, and a tube up to a “petting zone.”  In fact, it looked just like hers, which suddenly gave Kiki an idea.  She got into the cage and pulled the door up behind her just as the albino, recovered from the light, saw her and ran over.

“Well, that was a clever trick.  But now you are doing something incredibly stupid.  What  do you think, that I can’t get in my own cage?  How do you think I got out?”  And he charged at the cage.

Kiki heard him, but she wasn’t really paying attention.   She wasn’t going to waste any more energy talking to this guy.  She ran to the tube just as he hit the door with a resounding clang.  As she went up the tube, she could hear the albino pulling down the spring latch and getting in the cage.  She just hoped she was right about the size of the tube and the giant hamster. 

Even if she was wrong, though, at least she’d be able to attack him as he came up the tube behind her.  It was a trick she had used many times when Marina was bothering her, before they got their separate cages.  A few good bites and the big brute might think twice about coming after her, and she could find a way out.

As she got up to the petting zone, she noticed the plastic clasps looked wrong.  Reaching up, she found she could push the lid up.  So she had a way out, if she needed it.  From the noise below, she had been right – the tube was not big enough for a giant hamster.  And the albino was not happy about it.

“Oh you think you are very clever, don’t you?  Well, you haven’t done anything.  I’ll get you when you come down.  And you’ll have to come down – there’s no food or water up there.  And the boy will catch you if you stay up there too long, too.”

All of this was true, but Kiki had no intention of staying up there.  She would have to wait until the giant hamster fell asleep or lost interest in yelling at her, though.   She just hoped she could time it right to get out of the top of the petting zone, then run for the chair and jump down before he could get himself out of the cage and chase her again.  She also hoped she got the chance before the boy came in and found her like this.

As she was thinking about this and keeping watch on the entrance to the tube, she saw a motion off to her side.  A little pink paw came up over the side of the desk, followed shortly after by the rest of Marina.  Kiki suddenly got excited for a second – here was a chance for her to get out.  Only she had to make sure Marina could get to the cage without being seen.  As much as the thought bothered her, she’d have to keep the albino’s attention.

“Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said.  I guess I still don’t understand.  You know you can’t go outside in the daylight, and obviously ASAP agents have to be able to work day or night.  So why blame them for your problems?”

“Oh, that’s right.  Just take their side, little Robo.  Like you’ve ever had something you wanted taken away from you.  You couldn’t possibly understand my pain!”

“Well, help me understand then.  You have good computer skills – why not use them for ASAP?”

“Not if they won’t let me be a field agent!  I’m never going to help anyone again!  You hear me?  Never, little hamster.”

“Well, then, we’ll just have to make sure you can’t hurt anyone, either.”  This was Marina’s voice coming from outside the cage.  Kiki had never been happier to hear her – or anyone else’s  - voice.  She just hoped Marina had something more than her voice to offer.

At the sound, the albino had turned from the tube and made a dash for the door.  But Marina had pulled out a long thin plastic zip tie (where had that been hiding, Kiki wondered) and lashed it around the door latch.  They door was completely secure – the tie would have to be cut off before it could be opened again.  The albino pushed and snarled at Marina, but could not move the door.  Marina just smiled at him.

“I hope you have a way down from there, Kiki, because I don’t think I can get up to you,” said Marina.

“I think I can make it down – just give me a second.”  Kiki pushed back the petting zone lid and wriggled out to the top of the cage.  She put the lid back, making sure to push the lid clamps down just in case the albino somehow got up the tube.  She ran over to the side of the cage holding the water bottle, made a short jump down onto it, and then another on to the desk.  She came over to Marina and gave the bigger hamster a big hug.  After a second, Marina pushed her away.

“Don’t go getting all sentimental on me.  We aren’t home yet.”  Kiki realized Marina was right.   

They needed to get back to Eleanor’s room.

“Well, then, let’s go,”  Kiki said, and ran over to where the chair sat below the desk.

“Just getting my grappling hook.”

“Why? We can just jump down on the chair and then the ground.”

“Sure.  But how are we going to get back into our cages?”  Kiki hadn’t thought of that little problem.   As she sat there, surprised at what an obvious problem she had forgotten, Marina ran by.

“Are you coming or not?”  Marina squeaked, and then jumped out of sight.  Kiki followed her without another word.  The albino, however, was not done talking.

“You think this is over?  You think you’ve won?  I’ve only just started. ASAP will regret not making Rupert Redeyes a field agent, you mark my words!”

Kiki listened, but she didn’t care.  She was just glad to be heading home. 

The trip back was uneventful – Lucky the dog still had her head stuck in the bushes.  As she crawled by and into the tunnel, Kiki realized the whole adventure must have taken only a few minutes. 

Inside the house, the hamsters used the railing that ran next to the stairs to get to the second level.  They could hear voices.  It sounded like Eleanor was trying her best to keep her father out of her room.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy – come look at this!”  she was saying, obviously nervous.

“After I put the laundry away, honey.” 

Kiki and Marina could hear the voices getting nearer the stairs.  Without a word, they sprinted to the girl’s room.  The rope was where they had left it, and Kiki started to climb.  Below her, she heard a pop, and the grappling hook shot by her, followed a few seconds later by Marina.

“When will you learn to ride in style, sis?” squeaked Marina.  Kiki didn’t say anything – she couldn’t.  her whole body felt like it was on fire from the effort to climb the string.  As she reached the top, she could hear the voices out in the hallway.

“Daddy, please don’t go in there yet!” the little girl pleaded, as Kiki and Marina got back in their cages and shut the doors. 

“Why not?” said her father as he opened the door to the room.

“Because you’ll hurt my hamsters!” she blurted out, afraid he was going to step on one of them or let them escape her room.

“What are you talking about, honey?  They are right here, in their cages.”  And Eleanor saw that they were.  This was impossible, but there were Kiki and Marina, both burrowed in their bedding, fast asleep. 

“Were you trying to make up a story about your hamsters again, honey?  Because you know it isn’t nice to scare Daddy like that.”

“Um, you’re right, Daddy.  It was just a . . . a story.”  But even as she said it, Eleanor noticed the tiny string hanging off Kiki’s cage.  She stared at it, and a smile came over her face.  She hadn’t imagined it -her hamsters were special, after all.

THE END.