⏱ ~3 min reading
Artem fed the hamster carrot peelings. The hamster lived in a cage on a small table by the window. They called him Fluffy because when he first arrived at the house, he was so fluffy that he looked like a shoe shine ball.
Pushok liked to sit on the palm of his hand. Artem opened the door, placed him on his hand, and carried him to the windowsill, where Pushok usually sniffed the leaves of the house violet.
But today, Fluffy raised his nose, moved his whiskers. Suddenly he jumped. Softly, like a lump. On the floor.
— Fluffy!
The hamster ran. Fast, fast, with small paws. Straight under the cupboard.
Artem threw himself on his knees. He looked in. It was dark. Dust. And somewhere there were two shining eyes.
— Puff, get out!
The hamster didn't get out.
"Pushok! Well!"
The hamster sank even deeper.
Artem almost cried. He began to put his hand under the cupboard. Dust stuck to his sleeve. The hamster hid so far away that it was completely out of sight.
"Dad! Dad, Fluffy ran away!"
Dad came from the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder. He sat down next to Artem on the floor. He looked under the cupboard. He smiled.
"Yeah. I see your little eyes, traveler.".
— Dad, let's move the closet!
— What if Fluffy gets even more scared and runs away?
— What to do then?
Dad sat down more comfortably. He propped his chin on his fist.
"Do you know how to deal with small creatures? Quiet.".
- Quiet?
— Yes. The hamster is very scared now. He thinks they want to catch him. And when they catch him, he runs away.
— And if you don't catch it?
"Then he will want to come back. Because it's warm in the cage, there's his food, his wheel. He knows his home.".
Artem looked hesitantly at his father.
"What if he doesn't come back?"
"He'll come back. If we trust him.".
Dad showed Artyom how to make a «track.» They placed the cage directly on the floor, opened the door. They put a fresh piece of cucumber inside — Pushok loved cucumbers more than anything. Then they sat down on the sofa, away from him. Artyom leaned against Dad.
— How long do we have to wait?
— For now, alone.
— Is that a long time?
"Maybe. Maybe not.".
At first, Artem poked his foot. Then his father gave him a book about forest animals. They began to read in a low voice. About the squirrel that hides nuts. About the hedgehog that sucks milk. About the fox that walks around the huts.
Forty minutes later, Artem heard a rustling. A small one. Like someone sifting through grains of sand.
“Shh,” Dad whispered.
A muzzle poked out from under the cupboard. Black nose. White whiskers. The fluff sniffed the air. He looked one way. The other. He noticed the cage, he noticed the cucumber. He climbed out. With little jumps — thump, thump, thump — he approached the cage. He climbed inside. He sat down by the cucumber and began to crunch as if nothing had happened.
Artem stood up quietly. He walked over on tiptoe. He closed the cage door.
"Dad. I didn't believe he would come.".
"And he came. Because you didn't scare him.".
Artem watched as Pushok chewed a cucumber - calmly, as if he had never run away.
— Dad.
— What, son?
— And waiting is also doing something, right?
Dad ran his hand through his hair.
"It's true, son. Sometimes it's the hardest.".
💡 A wild creature knows when to return.