Imagination According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

Author:Betty G. Birney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2015-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

“Oh, Humphrey, we’re going to have so much fun,” Sophie said after school as Mrs. Brisbane helped her carry my cage and other important items such as my Nutri-Nibbles and Mighty Mealworms.

“I’m sure we will!” I squeaked.

I only wished I didn’t have to leave Og behind.

“BOING-BOING!” he called as I was carried out of Room 26.

“I’ll be back soon,” I called back.

Usually a parent or grandparent comes to pick me up. Sometimes I take the bus (which is noisy and bumpy).

But this day, the parent of another student picked us up.

His first name was Carter. His last name was George. So he really had two first names. Or two last names. He wasn’t a student in Room 26, but he lived next door to Sophie.

Of course, I couldn’t see Carter or his mom, because Mrs. Brisbane had put a cloth over my cage to keep me warm. It was COLD-COLD-COLD outside.

“I get to have Humphrey all to myself,” Sophie told her friend.

“Can I see him?” Carter picked up a corner of the cloth and peeked at me. I still couldn’t see him. All I could see was a giant eye. It was a friendly giant eye, though.

“I sure wish I had a hamster,” he said. “Or a classroom hamster. Our room is really boring.”

I can’t imagine a classroom without a pet! Even a frog like Og would be more fun than not having a pet at all.

When we got to her house, Sophie’s mom opened the door and whispered, “Come on in, but please be quiet.”

Sophie set my cage on a table in the living room and took the cloth off.

“Come see him, Mom,” she said. “Isn’t he cute?”

“Shhh,” Mrs. Kaminski said softly.

I looked up at Sophie’s mom. She was holding a rolled-up blanket.

“Hello,” I squeaked softly.

“Isn’t he cute?” Sophie whispered. “I’m going to clean his cage and feed him and give him fresh water and . . .”

“Sweetie, tell me later,” Mrs. Kaminski whispered.

Sophie kneeled next to the low table so her face was on the same level as mine. “Welcome to my house, Humphrey,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re going to stay here.”

“Me too!” I squeaked.

Sophie stood up. “Mom, Mrs. Brisbane really liked my paragraph. She said it was excellent!”

Suddenly, the blanket made a very loud noise. “Waaah! Waaah!”

It was so loud, my whiskers wiggled and my ears shook.

Mrs. Kaminski sighed. “Oh, no.” She jiggled the blanket. “It’s all right, baby.” She made funny clicking sounds with her tongue and asked Sophie to take me to her room.

“Okay,” Sophie said, but she didn’t sound happy.

She put my cage on a small table right next to her bed. “Welcome to my room,” she said. “Don’t worry. Timothy has his own room.”

Even so, I could still hear him wailing.

“All he does is cry,” Sophie said. “Sometimes I cry, too.”

“I’m SORRY-SORRY-SORRY,” I said.

I’m always sorry when my friends cry.

“All babies do is cry, eat and make messy diapers,” she said. “That’s it!”

Got it! There was a baby in that rolled-up blanket and the baby was called Timothy.

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