I was chatting with Nancy about the latest book I was reading, The School for Good and Evil, which I too was obsessed with, like her. I loved to read and share my favorite books to others. Nancy and her younger sister Martha had come over to my house on a warm summer day during break. Nancy’s sister, Martha,came into the kitchen where we were sitting at and begged, “Can I please play with Teddy?”

“Alright”, I sighed hesitantly.
  Teddy was a light brown and white hamster that we had gotten with big, black, adorable eyes. He was extremely intelligent and quite the curious hamster. Not to mention lightning quick for his growing age and size. I had got to keep him as my brother’s third grade class pet for the summer and his teacher was so happy we had taken good care of him that she told us we could keep him for good! I took him out and I handed him to Martha, reminding her to be careful with him and she nodded as I went back to chatting with Nancy. She started talking about how she beat this boy named Daniel in school running the mile by five seconds. I immediately got bored and stopped paying attention. I tied my short dark brown hair into a ponytail as she blabbered on. Sometimes Nancy could be a show-off and not pay attention or care for others. Nevertheless, she was quite the talented person and could be fun to be with. She was in competitive swimming and an athletic kind of girl as well as being a singer, dancer, tennis player, programmer, and artist. She often had trouble keeping her friends due to her negative attitude, so she tried to be more compassionate and caring. I was startled by a loud yelp from Martha followed by her opening up the closet door in panic. “What’s wrong?” I questioned.
She turned her head with a look of alarming dread. No… It can’t be… I thought to myself. My body froze and I felt a knot in my stomach tighten.“Where is he?”, I shrieked.
“He ran off into the closet when I looked away!”, sputtered Martha.
Where would I find Teddy now? He had run off into the closet and such a small creature would be extremely difficult to find. She could be clumsy and forgetful at times. She was a short and skinny little girl. She had medium length black hair and liked girly things. She, like her sister, was athletic and talented in many ways. I searched the closet trying to stay calm. “Teddy?”, I yelled into the closet knowing it wouldn't do anything.
I frantically removed the laundry basket and everything he could possibly go behind from the closet but I still couldn’t spot him. “That little rat is where he belongs. He’ll be fine”, sneered Nancy as she tied her long, frizzy hair.
I glowered with anger. He was not a rat and wasn’t “fine”. I was suddenly struck by an idea. I ignored Nancy’s rude comment and told her to keep watch on the closet until I grabbed some carrots from the fridge. I broke them into smaller bits and kept them on the floor in a trail starting from the closet to right outside of it. Martha, Nancy, and I waited patiently. Martha, sitting quietly in one corner feeling extremely guilty, was shedding tears. I noticed her silently weeping in a corner and went up to her. “What’s wrong Martha?”, I asked.
“It’s all my fault. I was the one who lost him.”, she cried and buried her face in her arms as she cried and sniffled.
“It’s alright Martha we’ll find him. I have a plan. Don’t cry.”, I reassured.
She looked up to me pulling her face out of her arms with big watery eyes and a tear stained face. “Really? How?” she asked feeling a bit better.
I explained to her how the bits of carrot would lure him out as he followed the trail leading out of the closet. I smiled, “See? I told you I had a good plan.” As we waited, the minutes seemed like hours. A feeling of dread took over me while I waited patiently as my paling face became beaded with sweat. I had started doubting my plan by the minute. What if he got stuck? What if he doesn’t find the carrot? I tried to stop thinking about things that would make me feel worse. I had to get him back. I knew I would find him. When I want something, I will do anything to get it. I just had to hope my plan would work. While Velora was busy with her plan, Teddy was enjoying his little taste of freedom. He scampered around the closet stealthily on the hunt for something tasty. His ears were perked up and his beady eyes flashed as he sprinted around the closet on fire. He soon tired himself out and found a nice corner to nap in behind the dryer but the floor was to cold to sleep on. The closet was very dim and dusty. There were baskets around him and not much room to move. He suddenly was aware that everyone was
looking for him due to the noisy fuss going around near the closet. By the time he had ventured around the whole closet again, Teddy’s fur was covered with dust and lint and he was hungry and very thirsty. He settled in a corner and he was so restless that he curled up into a little ball and fell fast asleep. Teddy was awoken with a start when he heard loud voices from nearby. He followed the voices until he came across a chunk of carrot. As soon as he he caught glimpse of the carrot he devoured it in a matter of seconds. The little piece of carrot gave him the strength to move on. He sniffed the air. There must be more carrots
nearby, Teddy thought. He waddled on forward with all his strength until he saw small pieces of carrot leading in a trail. As the pieces got smaller he followed the little chunks, occasionally
putting a piece or two in the pockets of his cheeks. He followed the trail until he was almost out of the closet as it was getting brighter. The first thing I saw was Teddy’s furry little head poke out of the closet while I was sitting on the stairs staring into the closet, I jumped up as soon as I saw him and immediately scooped him up and gave him a careful hug. Teddy felt better knowing he would soon be back in his cozy home. My body loosened with relief, then tightened with guilt. I needed to be more careful with him and should have kept an eye on him and Martha. If something like this happened again, I might not be so lucky the next time. I gently placed him into his home and made sure it was closed. “Sorry Teddy.”, apologized Martha.
“I should have been more careful with you.”, she admitted.
“Hey Teddy”, mumbled Nancy.
“Glad you’re back.”, she muttered trying to be nice.
Losing him made me realize problems could occur any time without being expected. I also knew I would not always be so lucky and could lose him without finding him. I was happy and relieved that I had found Teddy and that he was safe and sound in his home. Teddy was very happy to be under his soft bedding and not on the cold tiles of the house. He snuggled up in the little hammock Velora had made for him and soon fell asleep with the slight taste of carrot left in his mouth from his adventure.