Beasto and Bob

Beasto is a boy. His name isn’t really Beasto, but Evaristo. And someone called him Beasto one day, and now everyone calls him that. He calls himself that too. Bob is a hamster. Just Bob, not Robert, just Bob.

Beasto loves Bob, and Bob loves Beasto. They are best friends. Beasto got Bob at the pet store. He wanted a pet, maybe a baby chick, or a turtle, or a hamster. Beasto looked at the chicks at the pet store. They were cute, but he didn’t want a chick. Beasto looked at the turtles in their aquarium. They were cool, but Beasto didn’t want a turtle. Beasto looked at the hamsters in their cages. He held one, he petted it, and he liked the way it felt in his hand. They were soft and cuddly. He bought one and that is how he got Bob.

Beasto took good care of Bob. Beasto and Bob became best friends. Beasto made sure Bob had food and water everyday. He cleaned Bob’s cage every other day. Beasto fixed Bob’s wheel when it broke. Bob loved his wheel and spent a lot of time running on it. Sometimes he slept on his wheel. Beasto took Bob for walks around the yard using a piece of yarn for a leash. They watched TV together. Bob sat on Beasto’s head while he played video games. They were such good friends.

One day, Beasto took Bob to the hilly part of the front yard. Beasto had been digging a small tunnel for Bob to play in. After his tunnel was finished, he told Bob to go through it. Bob went into the tunnel, but did not come out the other side. Beasto looked into the tunnel from both sides, but could not see Bob. Beasto became afraid. He called Bob; still Bob did not come out. Beasto called his sister and brother to help him find Bob. Together they dug and dug to make the tunnel bigger. Maybe Bob got stuck, they thought. When they dug open the whole tunnel, they saw a lot of other tunnels. Bob was gone; they did not know which tunnel he went down.

Bob could hear them digging, but the tunnel he went down was covered with dirt. He waited for them to open the tunnel, but they could not see it. They dug for hours. Bob waited for hours. Beasto could not find Bob, and Bob was waiting to be found. That night Beasto was very sad that he lost his friend. He felt bad that he did not take better care of Bob.

Bob was finally able to dig open the tunnel he was in. He looked around, it was already dark. He looked down the hill to the house. He could see Beasto through the living room window. Beasto looked so sad. Bob called out to him, “Come and get me! Here I am.” Beasto could not see or hear Bob up on the dark hill. Beasto said a little prayer as he sat on the couch looking up to the hill. Bob heard some scary noises and ran down into the tunnel. That night he went exploring.

After a long walk down the tunnels, Bob met a gopher family and was invited in for dinner. Bob told the family all about his friend, Beasto, and how he got lost. The gopher family asked him to stay with them because they thought he would never get home to Beasto. “No, thank you, I am going to find my way back to Beasto. Thank you for dinner, but I must go now.” Bob found his way back to the top of the hill, but everyone was asleep in Beasto’s house. By morning, Bob found a little cave and went to sleep.

Right after breakfast, Beasto went to the hill to dig some more. He spent all day on the hill waiting for Bob to come back. But, as you know, hamsters are night animals, so Bob slept all day while Beasto waited for him. That night Beasto was looking up at the hill again, and Bob came out and called to him, “I’m here, come and get me.” But Beasto could not see or hear Bob, and then Beasto went to bed. Bob went exploring again. He met a different gopher family and was invited to eat again. He told them the story of Beasto and the things they did together. Just like the first family, they invited Bob to live with them. “No, thank you” he said, “I am going to find my way back to Beasto. Thank you for dinner, but I must go.”

Many days and nights went by. Each day Beasto went to the hill and thought about Bob. Each night Bob came out of the tunnel and called to Beasto.

One night, Beasto traveled far into the tunnels. He forgot which tunnel he came down and was really lost now. He came to another gopher family’s house, and they invited him to dinner. Just like the other families, he told them his story and they invited him to stay with them. He told them that every night he was able to get back to the hill, but now he was really lost. Just when he thought he might stay with this family, Grandma Gopher suggested he take another way out of the tunnels, but warned him to be careful of the raccoons.

Bob followed her directions and he found himself near the back porch of Beasto’s house. He was so thrilled because he could see Beasto’s mom and sister in the kitchen, and he was going to run to the porch when five very large raccoons came down the pine tree. Luckily they did not see him and he ran back into the tunnel. Bob could hear the commotion in the house because Beasto’s sister saw all the raccoons. They came to the back door and made a lot of noise to scare the raccoons away. After the noise died down, Bob stuck his head out of the hole and began to scurry toward the porch. It looked like everybody had gone back in; Bob was getting sad when he heard a scream.

“Bob!! Bob!!” Beasto’s sister screamed.

She grabbed him and was running toward the house yelling for Beasto. She brought Bob to Beasto. No one could believe he survived ten days in the tunnels. But he did. Beasto was so happy he almost cried. Everyone hugged and kissed Bob. Bob was so excited to be home, he just wanted to get into his cage, eat and go to bed. Beasto fed Bob, and Bob gobbled up his food.

That night Beasto went to sleep with a smile on his face, and Bob went to sleep with a lot of food in his cheeks.