Imagination According to Humphrey Read Online Free

I’d like to fly like a:
    â€” 
Bird
    â€” 
Kite
    â€” 
Rocket
    â€” 
Airplane
    â€” 
Hawk (Eeek—no!!)
    â€” 
Bumblebee (NO-NO-NO!)
    â€” 
Squirrel
    â€” 
Dragon
    â€” 
Balloon
    â€” 
Shooting Star
    â€” 
Hamster
    â€œBrainstorm is over,” I called to Og. “I’m still fine.”
    â€œBOING-BOING!” Og said, splashing in the water side of his tank.
    It was a pretty good list. It would be nice to fly like a kite, drifting along with the breeze . . . unless I got caught in a tree branch. That would be unsqueakably bad!
    I like shooting stars, but it might be a little bit
too
exciting for a small creature like me!
    I know there are flying squirrels. Squirrels are rodents like me. If some squirrels could fly, why not hamsters ?
    I’m pretty sure I’d be the very first. I’d probably become famous for flying. Maybe I’d even be on TV!
    I picked up my pencil and started to write. At last I had an idea and I wrote it down right away.
    Hurray! The page wasn’t blank anymore!
    I glanced up at the clock.
    I’d been so busy writing, I’d forgotten that Aldo said Gigi was lonely. Luckily, there was still time left before the morning sun peeked through the window.
    I jiggled the lock on my cage and, as usual, the door swung open. I’m glad none of my human friends have discovered that it doesn’t really lock.
    â€œOg, I’m going to visit Gigi,” I said. “After all, she doesn’t have a friend like you.”
    He hopped up and down. “BOING!”
    I could tell he thought it was a good idea.
    I grabbed onto the table leg and slid down to the floor, then scrambled across the floor to the door.
    â€œI’ll be back soon!” I squeaked as I hunkered down and crawled under the door.
    Room 12 is down the hall from Room 26, and Gigi’s cage was on a table by the window, just like mine.
    I scurried toward the table and looked up. The room was dark, but I could see a large furry brown shape in the cage.
    I raised my nose and sniffed. Yep, that was a guinea pig, all right!
    â€œHi, Gigi,” I squeaked. “It’s me—Humphrey.”
    The furry shape didn’t move.
    I went closer to the table.
    â€œGigi ? It’s Humphrey. Remember me—the hamster from Room Twenty-six ? ” I asked.
    Not a sound. Not a wiggle.
    I was getting worried. Was Gigi mad at me ? Was Gigi sick ? Was Gigi . . . something even
worse
than being sick ?
    â€œGIGI!” I squeaked at the top of my lungs. “ARE YOU OKAY ? ”
    Still, she didn’t budge.
    I looked around. The cord from the blinds was hanging down near the floor, just like in Room 26.
    I rushed over, grabbed the cord and began swinging. The harder I swung, the higher I went, until I was even with the top of the table.
    Then, when the timing seemed right, I let go of the cord and leaped onto the table.
    I did two somersaults and ended up near the cage.
    Gigi didn’t move.
    I moved even closer to the cage and stared at the mound of brown fur. If Gigi was breathing, I sure couldn’t tell.
    I took a deep breath and shouted, “GIGI! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT ? ”
    Suddenly, Gigi leaped up and gave a very unhamster-like squeal. “Wheeeeeee!”
    It startled me so much, I did a backward somersault away from the cage and let out an enormous “SQUEEEEEEEAK!”
    â€œWHEEEEEEE!” she squealed again.
    My heart was pounding, but I managed to take a deep breath and say, “Gigi, it’s just me. Humphrey, from Room Twenty-six.” After all, we had met once before.
    â€œHumphrey ? ” she whispered. “You scared me. I thought you were a monster!”
    â€œAnd I thought you were sick. Or worse!” I squeaked back.
    Gigi yawned. “I was sleeping.”
    She sure is a sound sleeper!
    â€œWhy aren’t
you
sleeping ? ” she asked. “It’s