Oxnard's Secret Box
By Caitlin
 
    I woke up one morning and Laura had already gone to school.  "I missed Laura this morning," I said.  "Oh well, there's always tomorrow.  How long has she been gone?"  I ate my sunflower seeds and alfalfa and left my carrier.  I went down the drainpipe and landed on Brandy (Brandy's my dog.).  "Hamha, Brandy," I said.  "Oowaa," Brandy replied.  I went over to Oxnard over at the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.  Oxnard was holding a cardboard box.  "Wow!" I exclaimed.  "Are you going to chew it up by yourself or may I help?"  Never!  This is my secret box!" Oxnard uproared.  "I thought we always shared secrets," I murmured.  "Not this one!" Oxnard replied.
    Oxnard and I walked to the clubhouse.  I kept on trying to get him to tell me what was inside.  "I'll never tell!" Oxnard yelled and ran for the clubhouse.  I was going to find out what was in that box no matter what would happen!
    "Wow," Boss said to me when I got into the clubhouse.  "Oxy's keeping his first secret."  "Have you been able to keep secrets, Boss?" I asked him.  "Uh, nope.  I'm Virgo," Boss replied.  "I tell all mine.  I can't put a lid on secrets.  Oh, I can tell you-"  "That's nice, I know Panda built you a secret storage room," I said because I knew he'd was going to tell me once again.  "How'd you know?" he asked.  "You told me last week."
       Oxnard was dogmatic about telling me what was in the box.  Boss said if Oxnard didn't show him what was inside, he would pound him.  "O.K.," Oxnard said.  Once Boss looked in, he burst out laughing.  "What?" I said.  "Oxy's got a vengeance on you!" Boss mocked.  Oxnard have revenge on me?  That's not fair!?
    I then kept trying to get Boss to tell me what was in that box of Oxnard's.  "I can't tell you, Hamtaro.  I vowed not to," Boss remarked.  "Yeah, but you said you couldn't keep a secret..." I said but paused and remembered that I don't mention it otherwise he would make sure he didn't tell me.
    "Hey, Boss," Oxnard said later.  "Can I keep my box here?"  "Sure, why not?" he replied.  That's what I'll do.  I'll sneak in and hope Oxnard or Boss aren't here and I'll look in the box.  I went on with my business, pretending I hadn't heard them talking to each other about the box.  I really wanted to get closer and hear them, but that was only a disaster waiting to happen.
    That night after Laura fell asleep, I sneaked out of my carrier and landed on Brandy when I went down the drainpipe.  I didn't say anything, just in case I didn't attract any attention.  I crept to the tunnel and then to the clubhouse.  I went through the door and made sure Boss was asleep.  He was surely asleep, the door was closed.  I looked around in the dark and realized the box was in Boss's room.  I say that was a nightmare waiting to haunt you.
    I tried to sneak through the door, but it creaked a little, so I closed it and took the pathway that Boss usually uses from his bedroom.  I found it quickly and went into his bedroom.  It was all messed up that night.  Nothing was in the right order, not even Boss himself.  He was standing up next to his dresser fast asleep like I wanted to be.  I looked and found the box.  But Boss was asleep on it.
    I pulled the box out from under his paws and he stayed like the box was still underneath them.  Weird, I know.  I was about to open the box when I tripped over something.  I kept on tripping over things and making a lot of noise.  I even stepped on a horn and he didn't wake up.  "Whoa, Boss is another Snoozer at night," I said out loud.  "Who's there?!" Boss screamed.  "Hamtaro!  So you're the guilty one!"  "No!  It's not what you think!" I screamed back.  "Oxnard's having a vengeance on me and I must know what it was!"  "What's going on?" I heard Oxnard say behind me.  "Hamtaro's trying to look at your box, Oxy!" Boss spilled the beans on me.  "What?!" Oxnard exclaimed.  "It's not what you think!  You have a vengeance on me!" I screeched.  "Hamtaro!  I thought you would leave me alone about it!" Oxnard said.  "I'm sorry, Oxnard," I said.  "Here's your box."  Oxnard snatched it up and said, "I thought our friendship was special!"  "I'm sorry, but I just want to see what's inside," I remarked.  "Oh, this is starting to get like a midnight movie madness," Boss said.  "O.K., you can look if you want," Oxnard said.  "Wow!" I exclaimed.  "Hot dog!"
    I looked inside and it was just a string.  "Ha, ha," I said.  "I'm going."  "But pull the string and the secret compartment comes open and...an embarrassing picture of you and Boss stuck in that hat at the New Year's party!" Oxnard said.  "What?!  I thought you said it was only Hamtaro!" Boss exclaimed.  "Uh, no."
    I was kind of surprised because Boss and I wore paper bags over our heads the next day.  "I'm going to get Oxy," Boss said.  "As soon as he leaves his box here, I'll pound it into the ground."
    Next day, Oxnard and I found the box in front of the clubhouse door pounded into the ground.  "Oh well, at least the photo's flat," he said.  He lifted the smashed lid and found that Boss had shredded the photo as well.  Oxnard shrugged and we went into the clubhouse.  I said, "Heke?"