Then... and Now

Author's Note: Well, since we were assigned to keep writing over the break, here is a piece for your enjoyment(:

This is just some old writing that I dug up recently -- I am quite embarrassed by it actually -- but I thought that it would be a sort of statement for all of us to see how far we have come with our writing capabilities in the past years. 

This is so embarrassing, but here is a story about what pet we would want if we could have any pet in the entire world! from fifth grade: 

          The Perfect Pet

          

          One day, I was walking in the park when I was a little girl. Then I saw it! Right there in front of me was the cutest animal I had ever seen. A squirrel! I ran up to the little creature and reached out my hand. Just as I was about to touch it's milk chocolate colored fur, a giant hand seized mine and dragged me away.

          "No! No!" I cried, "Let me go! I want to touch it! Let me go!"

           The hand twirled me around. "Don't ever touch a wild animal! They are bad news little girl!" shout a very red-faced, tall man. I tried to free myself but the man had a firm grip on my hand. 

            "You listen to me little girl! Don't ever let me see you touch one of those little monsters!" his voice boomed. I continued to squirm until finally I wriggled free from his grasp. I ran to my mother and started to sob into her shoulder. I couldn't speak. I stood there staring at the red-faced man. 

           That was the day that I decided I was going to get a squirrel. Not so much for me, but to prove that man wrong and to finally get a chance to touch those wonderful little animals. 

          Today I started my search for my squirrel. I have already picked one out that I saw on the computer when I was looking at squirrels. I am looking at the International Squirrel Rescue and Adoption Center. There, they have many different varieties of squirrels. Many of which I was looking forward to seeing. 

          Once inside the ISRAC my ears were filled with the sound of squeaking and cages rattling. I was greeted by a not-so-friendly man who guided me to the cages. 

          "Here they are. Enjoy. " said the man with a completely noticeable smirk on his face and an unenthusiastic  tone.

          "Thank you!" I answered back, a lot more politely. I ducked through a squarish hole in the wall that led to the cages. 

          Walking into the room was a little overwhelming. Hundreds of cages lined the floor all around the room, reaching all the way up to the ceiling. "Wow..." I barely heard the word leave my lips. 

          I started to walk around the room, peering into the little cages occupied by he cute little animals. Finally, I would get my chance to touch a squirrel. My whole life I had imagined what it would be like, down to the very last detail. Now I get to actually have my own squirrel; a lot better than just being able to touch one! I approached a cage that held a small squirrel, it's back facing me. When it turned around I nearly fainted, it was the cutest squirrel I had ever seen in my whole entire 10 years of living! I looked both ways before reaching out to unlatch the cage. Right when my fingers touched the icy cold metal, someone slapped my hand and shoved a piece of paper in my face. 

           DO NOT PUT FINGERS THROUGH THE BARS, FEED, OR EVEN JUST PLAIN TOUCH THE ANIMALS! 

was what the paper said. 

          "Sorry kid, it's our policy," said a very tall and thin looking man. I looked at a small pin that was hanging on his shirt. 

MANAGER

ran across the top and below it, 

Tim

in shiny gold letters. 

         Once he saw my disappointed look, he quickly added, "But I'd be glad to take him out for you to hold if you're careful." 

          I stood there with a huge dumb grin on my face, nodding my head so hard I swore it could have just flew off. He unlatched the cage, reached in and grabbed the squirrel, pulled him out and sat him in my outstretched hands. The squirrel looked into my eyes, it's deep brown ones trying to explain something that I didn't quite understand. 

          "How did these all end up here?" I questioned. 

          "Well some of them, people thought would be good pets to have and then they found out that it takes a lot of responsibility to have animals like these as pets. Then they released them into the wild. and that's when we stepped in. And for the others, they just happened to stumble upon us while we were out," the man explained. 

          "What happened to this one?" I asked again with even more curiosity. 

          "Well, it was one of the unlucky ones that someone let go," he answered. 

          "I'll take it." The words just slipped out.

          "Excuse me?" Tim asked.

          "I'll take it!" I answered more confidently.

          He looked at me strangely and then told me to go to the front desk and fill out an adoption form while he put the squirrel in a take-home box.  I did as he told me and went to fill out the adoption form. 

          Later that day, I was sitting at the park with my new friend. I had named the squirrel Billy, after my uncle. We were just sitting there when all of a sudden a movement caught my eye. I slightly turned to looked towards the movement. Sitting down at another bench was a man. 

          He pulled out a book and sat there for a long time before he noticed me watching him. When he looked up I saw who the man was. He was the red-faced man from when I was a little girl who had yelled at me for wanting to touch the squirrel! He saw me and an ashamed look came across his face. 

          I smiled.