Pocket

It is with heavy heart that I inform you, readers, of the passing of my beloved hamster, Pocket. Tonight, as I went to feed him, I noticed he appeared to be sleeping, and attempts to wake him were unsuccessful. I can only conclude he went peacefully in his sleep. Lately, a growth, most likely a tumor had appeared on Pocket's underside, so his death was not wholly unexpected.
Pocket was not what one would call a typically "good" pet. From the first time I met him, when he was still being cared for by Laurie, he was an ornery hamster. He never liked being touched, a fact attributed to likely neglect. The only time one could reasonably pet him was when he was too busy eating to bite. At one point, he bit Kevbo's finger, leading Kevbo to claim that the hamster needed to be "dominated." This particular incident ended with a still ornery hamster and a bloody finger.
Early one morning, Pocket's water bottle slipped into his cage, giving him a route to freedom. Unbeknownst to me, he climbed out of his cage, somehow down a bookcase, across my room, under a closed (!) door, and down the hallway. Craftily eluding Biteface until I arrived, he managed to make his way about the entire upstairs of our house, foiled only by the gate that blocks the basement stairs. This adventure is still fresh in my mind.

Pocket was a good hamster. He will be missed.