Write On!

              The lights came on and I thought of how hungry and thirsty I suddenly
was. I thought of my cage and food dish and water bottle. This only made me
more hungry.
I cautiously peered out from under the shelf and took a step out but a
cart nearly hit me and I darted back to my stuffed animal, shaking.
I stayed there until I heard the familiar sound of the floor scrubber
coming down the aisle. Donna was pushing it and, when she got right in front of
me, she stopped to pick something up off the floor in front of the scrubber. My
mouth watered with the smell of the water and I stole forward to get just a taste.
Just as I got close, she moved the scrubber and I jumped back in
fnght My stuffed toy became my sanctuary and I cuddled down in it.
Then I noticed the puddle of water left by the scrubber and made my
way toward it again. I only got a few sips of the puddle when a cart pushed by a
woman and little boy came down the aisle.
Not waiting to be seen, I raced back to my stuffed toy. All of a sudden
I got a sharp pain in my stomach and I knew I had gotten some bad water from
that puddle. I curled up on my stuffed toy and thought maybe if I had a little nap
my stomach would feel better.
A short time later I heard the laughter of children as maybe four small
children came down the aisle with an adult. I watched their feet as they passed
my hiding place and smelled the wonderful smell of cheese. Farther down the
aisle I watched one of the children drop one of the cheese sticks and leave it.
Hunger gnawed at my stomach as I waited for them to leave so I could
go get that cheese. It seemed like forever before they finally disappeared
around the corner.
Cautiously I made my way around all the stuff stored under the shelf
until I was right in front of the cheese. Glancing down the aisle to make sure no
one was coming I stole out to it and drug it back under the shelf before hungrily
gobbling it all up
I had barely finished when two men came to stand right in front of me.
I scurried back to my stuffed toy. I felt safer there and decided I should have
another little nap while half listening to the hustle and bustle around me in the
store.
I don't know what woke me but maybe it was the silence. Glancing
around, I noticed that the store was dark. I stretched and decided it was safe to
come out and have a look around.
The now familiar hunger pangs and relentless thirst drove me to make
finding water and food my first priority. If I could only find Billie and my cage,
there was food and a water bottle there. I called loudly, " Billie," no answer.
" Billie, where are you?" Still no answer.