Jinx

Remember how a couple days ago I told you that I had put off telling you about Frankie, the hamster, because I was uncertain of her life span?  Well...(now, shush it, you know we can't help it) the other night we left to go to the Regional basketball game around 6:30 p.m., and when we returned, I heard Lane shriek and start crying...then I saw the hamster cage lid lying next to the cage...and the opening to the cage was uncovered. 

After the screaming stopped, my first question was, Are you sure Madolyn doesn't have her out already?  (Although it would've been in lightening speed.)  Lane was hysterical and unable to answer, but Madolyn popped out of her room and said she didn't have her, realized the situation and said she was just sure she had reattached the lid after she had her out playing before we left for the game (putting it on Jay's head as he was sleeping).

Now, you know whenever your child says that they are absolutely sure about something, and then follow it up with "well, at least I am pretty sure," that is just like saying, I have absolutely no idea if I did or not, but I know I should have.  Ah-huh.

It was 10:30 when we got home and it was a school night so we told the kids that they would just have to hope and pray that either Frankie would make enough noise we could find her, or she would come out in search of food.  What I didn't tell them, but secretly passed on to Jay, was that I had noticed a large tuft of hair on the kitchen floor when I was searching for Frankie.  I picked it up and showed it to Jay who believed it was Frankie hair, not Meepie hair.  I tracked down the Meep and checked his whiskers, paws and fur for any traces of blood or other hamster debris.  I found none.  I also noted that Meep kept pacing at the door to his food which made me think he had not just devoured Fat Frankie...and Meepie's normal custom after slaying an animal, would be to drag the carcass, or what remained, around in front of us waiting for some sort of recognition of this great accomplishment...he did not do so.

I kicked Meepie out for the night just to be safe, and Hank the Tank II was spending the night at his home-away-from-home (a/k/a the vet, because he lost his boy parts yesterday) so he would not be a threat to the hamster's life if she was scurrying around.  I read my Nook for a bit before trying to go to sleep and then I just listened...hoping to hear the sounds of a small rodent scratching.  I did tell Jay that that thing better not end up on my face in the middle of the night...and thankfully, she didn't.  There was no sign of her come morning.  I let the Meep back in and she didn't seem the least bit aware of the possibility of an unattended rodent on the loose.

Madolyn happened to have a fever in the night and I kept her home today.  I left Frankie's food dish out on the floor in hopes she would come in search of food and told Madolyn to keep an eye out for her.  Jay went to pick up Hank, and although one might think that a dog who just had his privates cut out might be calm and lethargic, Hank drug the vet tech down the hall, attacked Jay and ran to the truck like he had been in captivity for weeks.  I told Jay maybe Hank would feel up to a little tracking later on this afternoon and help us locate the hamster...otherwise, I'm going to be heading to a pet store this weekend.  Wouldn't you know I jinxed the poor girl.