My Write A Book

Then, we ate and watched some more. My family also insisted that we took some action shots of Elizabeth opening the box with me inside. So, I got to play a very important role in the photo shoot. As I listened to the movies, I slowly understood this holiday. We had popcorn, candy, turkey, and mashed potatoes. Along with gingerbread cookies and side dishes. By the end, we were stuffed.

"How adorable", she gushed. When people stop by my cage, it's usually only for a few seconds. However, this lady was clearly interested. I have to admit, I was loving the attention! I needed to do something to keep her interested. Then, I got a sudden surge of energy. I raced around my cage about seven times, then stopped for some water. "Peter, this is the perfect pet!! She's smart, quick, and cute. This is exactly the pet for Elizabeth." She turned to her husband with a smile so bright, it could have lit up the room.

Soon, I met the rest of the family. Well, actually, I met them after I was taken out of a pretty box by the daughter of Peter and Jennifer, (Um, seriously? What is with humans and boxes???). The girl's name is Elizabeth, she's eight years old, and has two grandparents who spoiled her with presents today. We listened to music, ate food, played games, and watched TV. (I finally figured out the name of the man wearing red. It's "Santa". His name even sounds evil! And he sends out creepy elves all over the world to stalk children while they sleep.

I'm pretty much okay with everything they set up so far... except for something I'm almost positive is watching me. It's a large, plastic figure of an old man wearing red. He has a bushy, white beard, and a potbelly that hangs over his belt. I've heard stories of this man. He breaks into people's houses at night by entering through the chimney, shoves as many cookies as he can into his fat mouth, leaves boxes full of mysterious (and possibly dangerous) items, then crawls back up the chimney without a trace. I've watched him at night to make sure he's not doing anything suspicious, and I think I saw him move slightly. Once. 

Peter (I guess) looked at me for a while and gave in. "Okay, Jennifer. We can get, um, Gwen." I was placed in a small box and carried toward the door. Storm was not happy about this change, and started whining and howling. I was then taken outside to their car. A few minutes of driving, and we were at the house. Some more of the strange objects where there too. But instead of just a few trees wrapped in lights, their whole house was decorated! Lights, and garlands, and more wreathes covered the house in a festive way.

I was just minding my own business this morning, when Elizabeth ran into the pet room. Storm yapped and licked her. She sat down and told us some very exciting news. We're going on vacation! It's pretty cold up here, so we might visit a southern beach. Storm and I are ecstatic!! Elizabeth left to go pack, so me and Storm were left to discuss what the heck a beach even is. Oh well, I guess we'll find out soon!

They're really nice and all, but my very best friend is a husky named Storm. He's a really playful puppy and is as curious about the world as I am. What's really cool about him is that he has one brown eye and one blue eye. If you're wondering how a dog and a guinea pig could have possibly met in the first place, then let me just tell you that his cage is very close to mine. Actually, all of the young, small, dogs are pretty close to the "small rodents" section.

When we went inside, I was taken up the stairs and around a few corners to a room with a large cage. I was gently placed inside the cage, and onto the soft bedding. "This is your new home! Make yourself comfortable." Jennifer smiled and shut the cage door softly. New home? As in, forever? Well, I guess I had better take her advice and get situated. My new cage was a large improvement from the one back at the pet store. This one had so many toys and extras in it!

Individual Picture Story Book 6th Grade Mia Beasey Benjamin Tasker Middle School Illustrator Mia Beasey

The grandparents moved into their apartment this morning, and I was taken to see it. They loved it, of course, so we went out to eat. They chose a modern restaurant, and we ate outside. Jennifer took me in a designer handbag into the store (no one saw me), and ordered while Peter, Grandpa, Grandma, and Elizabeth stayed outside with Storm. Storm got the scraps, and I was slipped little bits of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes from the salad. At home, Grandma made us an apple pie, and I got small bits of uncooked apple.

This week was going by as pretty uneventful (as usual), until today. The pet store employees put up strange items throughout the store. Trees with tiny green needles were strung with lights and topped with a glowing star, small bushels of berries were pinned to walls, pretty flowers (apparently called poinsettias) lined the walls (plus one that was attached to my cage!), and silver bells that jingle extremely loud replaced the regular bell above the entrance door.

Elizabeth's parents turned off the TV at the end of the fifth movie. They led her downstairs, then I heard a happy squeal and a bark. Storm came running up the stairs and over to me. Peter told me that when they saw how sad Storm was to be separated from me, they got him too. "A house is never complete without a dog and a guinea pig", he told me with a wink.

Storm lives in the same room as me now, so we're roommates. It's called the "pet room". He has a play pen, large bed, and toys. Though my cage is in the pet room, I spend lots of time with Elizabeth. She holds me, talks to me, plays with me, and sets up mazes for me. She usually tells me about school and her friends. Sometimes if I complete a maze, she'll give me a carrot or a bit of celery. When her friends come over, they all crowd around me and pet me. Elizabeth makes sure they're careful.

I love my new home and family. Grandpa and Grandma are going to move into the guest apartment that's right next to our house. I love it when they visit because Grandpa entertains us with stories (however, Peter insists that Grandpa's memory is a little foggy), and Grandma always remembers to make treats for me and Storm too. I'm very excited to have them next door.

Hello! My name is Gwen. It's not a nickname or anything, just Gwen. I am a guinea pig who lives in a pet store in between isles three and four. I'm also not lonely! I know a very wise bird that I talk to when I have questions. He's been around for at least three generations... I think. (There's a lot of gossip that goes around the pet store.) Whenever I ask him if it's true, he just says "Perhaps". Did I mention I have apartment neighbors? Chip and Nugget, the hamster twins, live in the apartment cage below me.

This morning, a young couple walked into the store. "How about a fish?" The man pointed to a small, lonely, goldfish. "No", replied his wife, "Their lifespan is much too short." (The goldfish did not like hearing that.) "Perhaps a chameleon?" His wife shook her head. "They eat crickets. I couldn't live in a house with constant chirping." "Cat? Bird? Snake?" "No, no, and- Peter, get that over sized, scaly worm away from me!!!! We need a small, quiet, normal house pet." The lady's eyes bounced all around the room. When she saw me, she immediately rushed over.

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.