Hamster on wheels N° 165 p.3

Uncle George gave me a hamster for my birthday.
Mum was worried about all the mess  (désordre) it would make
but Dad said,  "It will be good for Tom
to look after an animal.

It will give him some res-pon -si bility!

I was over the moon.

" Is it a boy or a girl ? " asked Mum.
"A boy, but it's hard to see with all  that fur,"
said Uncle George. "His name is Tilbur."

"Tilbur ? That's a strange name ," said Dad.

I liked it... He was my VERY OWN TILBUR!
This was my best birthday ever.

It was  the Holiday
so I had plenty of time
to look after Tilbur.

I took him out of his cage and
carried him around
in my t-shirt pocket.
We played trains together.
We even played together
while I was in the bath !

Then I had to go back to school.
The days seemed so long without Tilbur.
When I got home, I could see that
he was bored in his cage too.

So I took him outside for som fresh air.
But Dad said, "If he gets away from you,
you'll never see him again.
He could get run over in the street
or be eaten by a cat ."
But I felt that Tilbur
needed more freedom.

So one Sunday, I spent the whole day
in my tree house doing DIY
like a mad (fou) scientist.
By the evening, I had made Tilbur a really cool...

The idea was simple.
Tilbur ran on his hamster wheel
that drove a belt ( ceinture, courroie) that turned the cage wheels.
So now he could move around on his own,
without coming out of his cage.

Tilbur was a quick learner.
He ran like the Wind !
Dad complained,  "He's like a remote-control car...  ==> télécommande
Always racing around and getting in the way !"


When I went out for a walk,
Tilbur followed me like a little dog.
Every noticed us.
One day we met Uncle George.
When he saw the Tilburmobile,
he said, "That's a fantastic invention !
All hamsters should have a cage like that !"

Then one day, on the way back from the baker's
I noticed that Tilbur wasn't behind me anymore.
He had disappeared !
I panicked and went back down the road.
Whenever I saw a dog or a cat,
I imagined Tilbur Inside their tummy.
The cars all seemed like monster bulldozers.

Even the butcher, who was usually so nice,
had a strange smile on his face.

Then I noticed an open hole
that lead to the sewers.  ==> égout

What if Tilbur had Fallen down there?
I yelled (==>  crier à tout-tête )  down the hole,
"Tiiilbuuur ! Tiiiilbuuuuur !"

But my voice just echoed
in the darkness.
I began to sob.==> sangloter
The water at the bottom would be really cold and
Tilbur didn't know how to  swim without a ring. ==>( for swimmer)bouée


Suddenly, a helmet appeared and then a man's head.

The man said, "What's wrong, son ?
Have you lost something ?"
I wailed, (==>hurler, gémir) "My hamster fell down this hole. "
The sewer worker said,  "I doubt it.
I've been working down here all morning and
I would have noticed. Mind you,
all this stuff (choses; trucs) did land on me ! "
He spread out a whole load of    ===> beacoup
things in front of me...
But Tilbur wasn't there.
I could feel my eyes filling with tears
so I decided to go home.

Suddenly,
the phone rang.
It was my uncle.
"Hello, this is Captain George
from Hamster Airways !
Please prepare
for a landing
in your garden
any minute now !"


I looked out of the window and
saw Tilbur in his cage.
hanging from some balloons.
He was happily piloting
a new version of the Tilburmobile.
Uncle George said on the phone,
laughing, "Tilbur kindly came to visit me,
so he and I wanted to surprise you !"

I hurried outside, shouting for joy,
"TILBUR !  MY VERY OWN TILBUR!