Finding Alberts Family

Dig. Gotta… get… out. Albert hunched over, held his yellow sides with his front four-toed paws, and caught his breath. Then refusing defeat, he pushed back, eyed his prison bars, and charged forward on all fours. Let. Go. Of. Me. He grunted each word with a full-body lunge against the interlocking fingers of the boy who’d plucked him from his family.

I’m going to get… the boy came to a sudden halt; Albert stumbled mid-run and tripped into his last effort, landing with a soft groan. The fingers separated, and Albert rolled from his captor's grasp. Panic replaced pride when he realized he was falling, moments before he landed with a hard thud…. out of here.

Albert sat upright sometime later, clutching his chest, looking for breath. He shook away the flickering black spots clouding his vision and got to all fours.

The first crunch beneath his paws caused something to blink in the distance. A pair of something. Then another.

“Hey friend, are you OK?” A voice questioned before a short-haired chunky black hamster made his way into view. “I’m Shadow.” He held out a paw once within reach.

“Hey, I’m Albert. Boy, am I glad to see you.”

“Ah. You must have come from the shop on the corner of 8th street. Hold on.” Shadow whistled, “Hey! Margo, come out here.”

A brown, slim, noticeably younger hamster ran out from a purple tube without hesitation.

“I’m going to need your help,” Shadow said, before turning to Albert, “Can you repeat yourself?”

What?

“It’s ok. I just don’t speak Spanish. I need someone to translate.”

“Neither do I,” Albert said out loud.

“He says neither does he,” Margo repeated with an accent.

“You’re speaking English. I can understand it.”

“He says he can understand us.”

“Because I also speak English.”

“He says he also speaks English.”

“Ok,” They shared a sideways glance, “then we can all just talk in English.”

“I am talking in English.” Albert’s sentences began to come out slower, and confusion took hold when he heard his voice but didn't understand what he was saying.

“No, you’re not,” Margo pointed out. “You’re speaking Spanish.”

“But I don’t even know how to.”

“Could have fooled me.”

Albert looked around, “I need to get out of here.”

“He says he needs to get out of here.”

“Will you please stop that!”

“Sorry,” Margo slunk a couple of steps back.

“That’s not going to be possible. The only way out is by moving those two metal pins.” Shadow pointed up the cage wall, “Even if you get past that, you’ll have a heck of a time getting past Kloe.”

“Who’s Kloe?”

“Kloe is..” Margo began.

“It doesn’t matter!” Albert cut her off. “I’m going.”

“Suit yourself,” Margo retreated to her tube.

Without listening to another word, Albert took off at a sprint towards the side wall. With only a few steps left, he flung himself in the air and reached for the blue-wired cage. Albert clung to the bar and hoisted himself to recover from the ill-timed jump. Once all four paws settled safely, he caught his breath. Then he looked back and noted two more hamsters had joined Shadow. They all stared at him, silent and concerned.

Albert nodded goodbye and began to climb, one rung after another. He moved the first metal pin in vain as soon as he reached it.

It’s heavier than it looks.

He paused but didn’t look at the crowd below.

Take a breath. Slow and steady.

He resumed his position and made way with the pin. Before he knew it, and to the shock of those still in the wood shavings, he almost had both pins out.

With a clang, it released, and the door swung down, forcing a spout of laughter to roll up from Albert’s stomach.

“Well done. Now I’m telling you, you need to watch out for Kloe.”

Albert looked down to see Shadow, cup-handed, yelling up to him, dampening his victorious efforts.

How can I… giving a thumbs up, Albert ensured Shadow knew he had heard him.

Albert looked around beyond the cage and found a tiny human room. A twin bed covered in dinosaurs and a bookshelf littered with pictures, books, and toys sat along the opposite wall. The desk he was caged on ran right up to a door that bordered a window.

Freedom.

Swinging his leg around, Albert prepared to descend from outside the cage.

“Look out!” Someone shouted.

Albert looked over his shoulder in time to see his assailant. A big tuxedo cat was preparing to capture him with his white front paw. Dodging at the last second, Kloe could only swat him, knocking him past the desktop and straight to the floor.

Albert landed hard for the second time that day. He watched as Kloe landed softly on all fours a short distance away. She took her first step in his direction, and Albert succumbed to the blackness.

“Shoo!” He heard from a distance.

A gust of wind rushed past Albert, and he opened his eyes to find himself back in the boy’s hand prison.

“Are you OK?”

Am I?

Before deciding, he found himself back in the cage he had just escaped. Shadow made his way over to him, putting a comforting paw on his shoulder.

“It was a valiant effort.”

“Thanks,” Albert mumbled.

“Hey! I can understand you.”

“What?” Albert perked up.

“Yeah, say something else.”

“Uh… My name is Albert.”

“Pleased to meet you, Albert. I’m Shadow.” He reached out to shake Albert's paw again and then summoned over the others. “You know Margo, and this is Bear and Evie.”

“Hi!” Albert said enthusiastically.

“No hablo ingles.” Margo proclaimed, and they all fell silent. “…I’m just joking! So, are you going to try to escape again anytime soon?” She finished with a friendly punch to the arm.

“I don’t think so,” Albert said, chuckling. “Looks like we’re family now.”