| Mass Media & Society |
| "Christina, it's time for bed," her mother bellowed from the bottom stair. Christina was stretched out across her bedroom floor watching her new pet hamster, Britney, inspect her cage. When Christina's mother hiked up the stairs to her daughter's room she found her still sprawled across the beige carpet. Commanding the five-year-old to submit to better judgement, Christina's mother insisted that she get into bed. Reluctantly, the child complied. Once in bed, Christina decided to rescue Britney from her foreign environment, fearing that her new playmate would be lonely in the plastic cube. Christina shimmied out of her comforter and tiptoed to the sleeping critter. Britney jerked awake to see a hand the size of her descending into the cage. Christina grabbed her new friend around the middle and squeezed a little too tightly causing Britney's black, marble eyes to appear as big as her namesake's ego. Christina crept back into bed with her little friend and placed her on the pillow. Looking pensive, Christina ralized that Britney would become cold lying on a pillow so she flopped the hamster under the pillow and rested her head atop the tiny bulge. "You must be awfully tired, Britney," Christina cooed the next morning when she lifted the pillow to find Britney lying motionless on the bed. Christina picked up the lifeless body; it occurred to her what had happened as she stated, "Oh. You're dead. Well, I guess I'll just go watch T.V." |