Clare won the Young Georgia Authors Competition for our district for 2nd grade. Here is her story:

Snakes!

By

Clare Wislar

         Hello I am a brown dumbo rat but I am not dumb. I am called a dumbo rat because I have big ears. My name is Lola and I am 4 weeks old. I live in the store Pet Express. My siblings Harold and Sally already got picked out of the cage. Harold was a gray rat. Sally was a beige hooded rat.  I have stinky rotten food and worst of all my cage is next to a boa constrictor’s cage.  “Ring ring” rang the bell on the door. Oh great another costumer. “I wonder who that is” I said.  In walked a pretty girl in a purple and blue outfit. She looked like she was very nice and either eight or nine years old. Her mom had short dark hair and was wearing a black outfit. “Mom. Mom!” Said the girl. “A rat! Can I please have it?” Said the girl. “Yes” said the mom. “I guess so.”  I started licking my paws and rubbing them on my fur to wash myself right away because I knew she was talking about me. I am the only rat left in the pet store.  “The one in the snake food cage” said the girl.  Snake food! I thought. Uh oh!

The store manager picked me out of the cage and asked “are you going to feed it to a snake or are you keeping it as a pet?” “Pet” said the girl. I felt glad. Then the store manger said “put her in a tank or cage and give her food.”  “I think I will name her Lola,” said the girl. How did she know that was my name? They took me to a pretty house in beautiful neighborhood. “This is your new home now” they said.