Gia
Teenage Guinea Pig
This is the story I wrote for writing class. Not that great, but I thought I would share it. This is only part one. Too many characters!
Day 1
We were rescued. From the mud, the water, and from the rain. From the terrible place we called home. Brother and I survived as some of the only survivors. They came after the hurricane hit the pet store. After the wind shattered the windows. After the mud. After the water came rushing in.
When the shelters heard the hurricane was coming, they went to a bunch of pet stores, but I wish they would’ve come a little sooner. All of the guinea pigs survived (about five including us). The birds flew away. That crazy hamster was scared, but he’s alright. The rats and the mice are alive. The chinchilla is OK. No one thought to save the reptiles and I don’t know if the fish survived. Maybe they left with the water.
They rushed us into the truck. The warm, cozy truck. The rats and the mice were really scared. They ran around until someone finally gathered them up and put them under a towel. Strange creatures they are. The chinchilla was in someone arms, just laying there. The hamster was next to Brother, trying to get warm and the other guinea pigs were huddled in the corner.
When we got here, they washed off the mud and dried us with towels. The volunteers here at the shelter call me Babe and they call Brother Boomer. Strange names for guinea pigs. I don’t call him Boomer. I call him with my voice- with my powerful wheeks that even the dogs in the other rooms can hear. I yelled when they tried to put me in a different cage away from Brother. They tried to leave him all alone. I couldn’t leave him. I feel safe around Brother. I screamed so loud they put Brother and I in a cage by ourselves on the bottom shelf.
We want to escape. I can see it in Brother’s eyes; full of fear. We will escape, but we do not have enough energy. We will stay a bit longer- until the hurricane is over.
Day 2
Brother mumbles to me sometimes. I can’t always hear what he’s saying. He tells me how he wants to get out and he tells me when he’s hungry and he tells me when he’s scared. I’m scared, too. I’m scared for what will happen if we don’t leave this loud and scary place. It is so loud here that it is hard to sleep. This place is full of animals, especially dogs- dogs that are recovering and dogs that are scared or hungry or wanting to escape just like us. I know it’ll be alright to escape sometime soon, because I heard someone say it’s almost summer.
This morning was exciting. A woman came to all of the rodents’ cages and gave us attention. She came and stroked us and told us we are very pretty. Her voice was soft and it sounded as though she loved us and we weren’t alone.
Afterward she got us out of our cage to weigh us and clip our nails. We were happy to be out, because we got vegetables. Delicious, sweet vegetables! They gave us cucumber and radishes and lettuce. Our favorite was the cucumber.
Brother kept mumbling to me that he wants more vegetables. I wish they’d come with more juicy vegetables.
Day 3
The woman came back today. I knew she was coming when I heard her keys. The jangly sounds made Brother really excited. He started running around and jumping and bumping into the walls. I told him to stop, but he didn’t listen. When she made it to our cage after checking on the other animals, we smelled more veg. Before she let us have the vegetables, she cleaned our food dish with very yucky smelling cleaner. When she finished, she gave us kale and cucumber.
The kale was surprisingly good and the cucumber seeds popped in our mouths like balloons ready to explode. The women told us her name is Wendy. She said that she works here and she has guinea pigs of her own. Their names are Brindle and Lentil. She thinks they are funny names, but she likes them. She took our water bottle with her, but she came back few minutes later and put a full one on. After a few minutes of watching us eat, she pet us and said goodbye.
Day 4
Today, they let us out of the cage. It was a big pen. We were with about ten other guinea pigs and two rabbits. One of the rabbits was from our pet store, but the other I didn’t know. I followed Brother to the other guinea pigs. They were all boys. Some of them looked skinny. We stayed for a while, but I got bored, so I went to eat some pellets.
“Sweetie! Where are you, bud?”
A tall man kept walking through the aisles of dogs trying to find Sweetie. I’d heard of that dog before. She’s a poodle. She walked past my cage when they brought her in. She has a broken leg. I heard the woman say it in the recovery room.
“Wheeeeek!” I said.
He spun around, startled.
“Wheeeeek!” I said again to show him where I was.
“Oh there’s the culprit!” he chuckled, “What’s your name little guy?”
“His name’s Babe.” someone said.
It was the woman. I guess she heard us.
“Oh, he frightened me.”
“Yeah, we got him at that PetSmart down the road a bit.”
“Cute little guy, but I’m really here to look for my dog Sweetie.”
“Oh that’s amazing! She’s over here.”
She showed him to his dog. He was happy they found her and wrapped her leg, so he donated five-hundred dollars. I’m glad he gave us more money, because that means more vegetables.
Day 5
It’s terrible here. It smells when they give the dogs baths and they bark all day. There’s also a bird in the cage above who screeches so loud. I really want to leave, but the kind woman who gives us vegetables is here. We tried to leave today, but they caught us. Wendy leaves the door open slightly when she gets us new water. When she left, Brother slowly pushed it open, so I didn’t creak. When we hopped out, the floor felt cold. Brother went first and I followed. We ran to the cat area, but someone was in there, so they caught us. When Wendy found out, she was so happy we didn’t get to the door. When were locked back in our cage, I could tell Brother was upset again. Almost as upset when they took us away from Mama.
I miss Mama. She was so warm. So comforting. Mama was always hungry. They barely fed us there. It was worse than the pet store- no food, no water, no place for us to hide. I really miss Mama.
Day 6
I’m relieved. I’m so, so relieved we left. We escaped from the shelter and from the dogs and from that dumb bird. But we escaped from Wendy. She tried to catch us, but we ran too fast out the door and out to the bushes where they couldn’t find us.
Soon after they went back inside, we went to look for dry shelter. We found a cooler with a towel inside, but it was all wet. I told Brother we should look more but come back if we didn’t find anything. When I was looking around, I came upon an open box with an opening to go in. It was empty and mostly dry, so it’s a perfect place for home.
“Wheeek!” I called to Brother once I got got back to the cooler.
When he finally arrived, I said I found the perfect spot. I ran back the box and he followed. We explored the open opening.
The inside is spacious, but cold. I’m glad I found it. Maybe Mama would be proud of me.
Day 7
I feel good. There is a large park nearby with a lot of grass. Most of it has been ripped up, but there is some we can eat. I also found a few dandelions which I brought back to the box to munch on later. Brother also found some other yummy things which I helped bring back.
This morning I woke up to Brother’s screaming. Supposedly, there had been a cat outside and it was trying to get in. Brother said it it’s gray and very large. His description of the cat was not very detailed, but if I see a cat, I’m not going near it.
Day 8
The cat came back again, but it’s not very big and it’s tan, so I don’t know what Brother is talking about.
Some really strong winds came back today and we were worried about our box falling over, but it stayed where it is. I don’t really like this box anymore. I told Brother that I wanted to go somewhere else tomorrow, because Wendy came looking for us again. Brother agreed with me, but I’m not sure he’s really up for it. He’s not very adventurous and always needs to stay relaxed. If he gets scared, he can get really clingy. I tell him he needs to lighten up but it doesn’t work. If he’s continues to be this weird, I’m going to get really annoyed.
We’ve only ever fought a few times and it wasn’t bad. Brother doesn’t like fighting, so he always just always hides in a corner. When we were let in with the other pigs in the shelter, some of them were fighting really badly. One even got his ear ripped a little.
Brother and I generally always get along and I’m glad.
See part two in another thread!
Day 1
We were rescued. From the mud, the water, and from the rain. From the terrible place we called home. Brother and I survived as some of the only survivors. They came after the hurricane hit the pet store. After the wind shattered the windows. After the mud. After the water came rushing in.
When the shelters heard the hurricane was coming, they went to a bunch of pet stores, but I wish they would’ve come a little sooner. All of the guinea pigs survived (about five including us). The birds flew away. That crazy hamster was scared, but he’s alright. The rats and the mice are alive. The chinchilla is OK. No one thought to save the reptiles and I don’t know if the fish survived. Maybe they left with the water.
They rushed us into the truck. The warm, cozy truck. The rats and the mice were really scared. They ran around until someone finally gathered them up and put them under a towel. Strange creatures they are. The chinchilla was in someone arms, just laying there. The hamster was next to Brother, trying to get warm and the other guinea pigs were huddled in the corner.
When we got here, they washed off the mud and dried us with towels. The volunteers here at the shelter call me Babe and they call Brother Boomer. Strange names for guinea pigs. I don’t call him Boomer. I call him with my voice- with my powerful wheeks that even the dogs in the other rooms can hear. I yelled when they tried to put me in a different cage away from Brother. They tried to leave him all alone. I couldn’t leave him. I feel safe around Brother. I screamed so loud they put Brother and I in a cage by ourselves on the bottom shelf.
We want to escape. I can see it in Brother’s eyes; full of fear. We will escape, but we do not have enough energy. We will stay a bit longer- until the hurricane is over.
Day 2
Brother mumbles to me sometimes. I can’t always hear what he’s saying. He tells me how he wants to get out and he tells me when he’s hungry and he tells me when he’s scared. I’m scared, too. I’m scared for what will happen if we don’t leave this loud and scary place. It is so loud here that it is hard to sleep. This place is full of animals, especially dogs- dogs that are recovering and dogs that are scared or hungry or wanting to escape just like us. I know it’ll be alright to escape sometime soon, because I heard someone say it’s almost summer.
This morning was exciting. A woman came to all of the rodents’ cages and gave us attention. She came and stroked us and told us we are very pretty. Her voice was soft and it sounded as though she loved us and we weren’t alone.
Afterward she got us out of our cage to weigh us and clip our nails. We were happy to be out, because we got vegetables. Delicious, sweet vegetables! They gave us cucumber and radishes and lettuce. Our favorite was the cucumber.
Brother kept mumbling to me that he wants more vegetables. I wish they’d come with more juicy vegetables.
Day 3
The woman came back today. I knew she was coming when I heard her keys. The jangly sounds made Brother really excited. He started running around and jumping and bumping into the walls. I told him to stop, but he didn’t listen. When she made it to our cage after checking on the other animals, we smelled more veg. Before she let us have the vegetables, she cleaned our food dish with very yucky smelling cleaner. When she finished, she gave us kale and cucumber.
The kale was surprisingly good and the cucumber seeds popped in our mouths like balloons ready to explode. The women told us her name is Wendy. She said that she works here and she has guinea pigs of her own. Their names are Brindle and Lentil. She thinks they are funny names, but she likes them. She took our water bottle with her, but she came back few minutes later and put a full one on. After a few minutes of watching us eat, she pet us and said goodbye.
Day 4
Today, they let us out of the cage. It was a big pen. We were with about ten other guinea pigs and two rabbits. One of the rabbits was from our pet store, but the other I didn’t know. I followed Brother to the other guinea pigs. They were all boys. Some of them looked skinny. We stayed for a while, but I got bored, so I went to eat some pellets.
“Sweetie! Where are you, bud?”
A tall man kept walking through the aisles of dogs trying to find Sweetie. I’d heard of that dog before. She’s a poodle. She walked past my cage when they brought her in. She has a broken leg. I heard the woman say it in the recovery room.
“Wheeeeek!” I said.
He spun around, startled.
“Wheeeeek!” I said again to show him where I was.
“Oh there’s the culprit!” he chuckled, “What’s your name little guy?”
“His name’s Babe.” someone said.
It was the woman. I guess she heard us.
“Oh, he frightened me.”
“Yeah, we got him at that PetSmart down the road a bit.”
“Cute little guy, but I’m really here to look for my dog Sweetie.”
“Oh that’s amazing! She’s over here.”
She showed him to his dog. He was happy they found her and wrapped her leg, so he donated five-hundred dollars. I’m glad he gave us more money, because that means more vegetables.
Day 5
It’s terrible here. It smells when they give the dogs baths and they bark all day. There’s also a bird in the cage above who screeches so loud. I really want to leave, but the kind woman who gives us vegetables is here. We tried to leave today, but they caught us. Wendy leaves the door open slightly when she gets us new water. When she left, Brother slowly pushed it open, so I didn’t creak. When we hopped out, the floor felt cold. Brother went first and I followed. We ran to the cat area, but someone was in there, so they caught us. When Wendy found out, she was so happy we didn’t get to the door. When were locked back in our cage, I could tell Brother was upset again. Almost as upset when they took us away from Mama.
I miss Mama. She was so warm. So comforting. Mama was always hungry. They barely fed us there. It was worse than the pet store- no food, no water, no place for us to hide. I really miss Mama.
Day 6
I’m relieved. I’m so, so relieved we left. We escaped from the shelter and from the dogs and from that dumb bird. But we escaped from Wendy. She tried to catch us, but we ran too fast out the door and out to the bushes where they couldn’t find us.
Soon after they went back inside, we went to look for dry shelter. We found a cooler with a towel inside, but it was all wet. I told Brother we should look more but come back if we didn’t find anything. When I was looking around, I came upon an open box with an opening to go in. It was empty and mostly dry, so it’s a perfect place for home.
“Wheeek!” I called to Brother once I got got back to the cooler.
When he finally arrived, I said I found the perfect spot. I ran back the box and he followed. We explored the open opening.
The inside is spacious, but cold. I’m glad I found it. Maybe Mama would be proud of me.
Day 7
I feel good. There is a large park nearby with a lot of grass. Most of it has been ripped up, but there is some we can eat. I also found a few dandelions which I brought back to the box to munch on later. Brother also found some other yummy things which I helped bring back.
This morning I woke up to Brother’s screaming. Supposedly, there had been a cat outside and it was trying to get in. Brother said it it’s gray and very large. His description of the cat was not very detailed, but if I see a cat, I’m not going near it.
Day 8
The cat came back again, but it’s not very big and it’s tan, so I don’t know what Brother is talking about.
Some really strong winds came back today and we were worried about our box falling over, but it stayed where it is. I don’t really like this box anymore. I told Brother that I wanted to go somewhere else tomorrow, because Wendy came looking for us again. Brother agreed with me, but I’m not sure he’s really up for it. He’s not very adventurous and always needs to stay relaxed. If he gets scared, he can get really clingy. I tell him he needs to lighten up but it doesn’t work. If he’s continues to be this weird, I’m going to get really annoyed.
We’ve only ever fought a few times and it wasn’t bad. Brother doesn’t like fighting, so he always just always hides in a corner. When we were let in with the other pigs in the shelter, some of them were fighting really badly. One even got his ear ripped a little.
Brother and I generally always get along and I’m glad.
See part two in another thread!
