A while ago I was living in my petshop with all my brothers and sisters, just as I had been all my life. Now and then one of us got grabbed to become somebody's pet or become lunch for somebody's pet snake.

One day our boss grabbed ME and put me in a little box! I was terrified! There I was, in some sort of place that growled and rumbled (I learned later it was a car) and then I was dumped into a strange aquarium. I was petrified, and kept waiting for the snake to eat me!

Finally I realized there was no snake with me, but a strange person kept hanging around the cage, trying to pet me and pick me up. I would hide when I could. She kept giving me treats and petting me until I got less shy. (That took a LONG time!)

It was a while before I trusted my new Boss. (I'm still a little nervous when she wants me to come out of the cage when there are visitors or when The Dog is around.) But things were okay, mostly. I liked my aquarium, and I liked it when I got to go to the library with the Boss.

But I was lonely! I missed my brothers and sisters. People are nice, but they can't take the place of a rat.

Then one day, the Boss brought home another rat! I was excited, but I was also kind of mad. Here was this NEW rat, a total stranger, and he was on MY table, and after a while in MY aquarium, eating out of MY dish! I didn't think I'd like the new rat, but after I beat him up a couple of times, I decided he was okay. Now he's just like a little brother. He steals my treats and does other annoying things, but I love him. He makes a nice pillow, too.