(If you haven’t read the beginning of the story, you can do so here)
Chapter Two The Day I Lived
I manage to sleep all through the day and dream of papaya, mealworms and Dreamer. I hear the comforting voice of my human as she gets into her car. We drive for a long time. Dreamer and I are curled up in one bonding pouch. Her little warm body curled up beside me is a comfort, but I can’t help the fear that wells up inside of my heart.
Late in the day, the car stops and my human gets out. I hear a deep, strange voice and a whole new array of Human Smells fill my nostrils. I strain my ears and hope to catch their words. Is this to be my new owner? Will he be kind to me? Will he hate me? Doubts fill my head.
The pouch is handed to the new human. I quiver and sink farther down into the pouch. The zipper on top is opened and a huge, bearded face stares down at me.
“AHH! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I shriek. “DON’T HURT ME!”
What Bearded Man hears is a loud, locust like noise. He smiles and zips the bag back up. I relax a bit. I feel the pouch handed to another set of human hands. The bag is unzipped again – why?! – and another face looks in.
This is one of a teenage human with chocolate brown hair and eyes to match. She smiles enthusiastically at me and Dreamer.
We both scream, “DON’T TOUCH US!”
Apparently, she doesn’t get our message and sticks her hand slowly down into the bag. I continue to scream, while shrinking down behind Dreamer. This is it! The Hand is coming for us! We’ll be squeezed alive!
Why, why! Oh for the days of my youth! Oh for the lonely nights that I spent with Clam, Parker and Star! What I would give to have them back! But now, now it has all come to an end and my young life is forfeit! Why, Owner, why did you give us up?!
The fingers are level with my face now. I lunge forward and bite. They retract for a moment but then return. My defenses have failed. I hunker down in the bottom of the bag and curl my tail around my whole body. I await the end of it all.
To my utter shock, I didn’t feel myself being squeezed to death. Finger tips were brushing my back and stroking my head. Gentle fingers!
Images of rainbows, new toys and eucalyptus trees fill my brain. Maybe, just maybe, this won’t be as bad as I thought!
My new owner, which I call Fingers, talks to me for hours as we drive into the Unknown. When it gets dark, she unzips the bag and it lays on her lap. I slowly stick my nose out, sniff, and then pull back inside. Too many new smells. Too much danger.
I stay inside as long as I can stand it. But my curiosity gets the better of me and I stick my head out again. Nothing happens. Slowly I crawl out of the little bag and find myself in a whole new world. A world that the humans call The Van.
Life in The Van lasts only a few more minutes. I feel the rhythmic movement stop and the bonding bag is zipped up again. Dreamer and I are carried into a cold human home. So many new smells wash over me. It’s overwhelming.
Our bag is laid in a small hamster cage. I grimace and hope that this won’t be our perminant home. Hasn’t this girl done any research? Sugar gliders cannot be confined to such a tiny space! We need room to run and glide and –
A small dish filled with delicious smelling food is placed in the corner of the cage. My mouth waters but I dare not leave the safety of my bag – or Dreamer. The glaring human lights are on. They expose us to greedy, hungry eyes. I wrap my tail around my body once more and close my eyes. Tomorrow morning, when the moon rises and the stars come out, then I’ll explore. Tonight I’m just glad I’m alive. And that I’m living with the most beautiful sugar glider ever to grace the face of this scary world.
Hope you guys enjoyed!
~Hattush
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