an intern. I need to feed the animals before school.”
“Oh, all right,” he says, unclipping the large ring of keys from his belt. “That’s very dedicated of you.”
“Yeah, well…” I reply. “Someone’s got to do it.”
I thank him, lock the door behind me, and toss my backpack by the door. The shades are drawn and the room is dark. Most of the animals are still curled up, asleep. Not bothering to turn on a light, I go to the rats’ tank. The five white rats are cuddled together, snoozing. I try to lift the tank, but it’s way too heavy.
How can I do this? My eyes dart around the lab. There’s got to be a way.
I remember my backpack lying by the door. That’s it! Grabbing the pack, I unzip it and unload the books, then return to the tank and take off the lid.
My rat friend from the other day is the first to look up at me. I can tell it’s the same rat because one whisker is slightly bent. I scoop him up and give him a nuzzle with my nose. Then I set him down inside my pack. He stands up immediately and starts sniffing. He probably smells the lunch that was in there just a moment before. I put his four sleepy pals in the backpack with him and zip it up.
Behind this lab is a supply room with a door that leads to an open, grassy field. The door is locked from the outside but not the inside. As long as I put a book in the doorway to hold the door open, I’ll be able to get back in.
Out in the yard I lay the backpack down and unzip it. “There you go,” I say to the rats. “You’re free. Go!”
I expect them to race out, but instead they stay inside the pack, sniffing. “What’s the matter with you guys?” I ask as I lift the pack and gently dump them out. “Get going!”
They just look at me and hang around as though they have no desire to escape. Freeing these animals is the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life—and they won’t leave!
My friend is the first to travel a littledistance. The others scurry after him. “That’s it,” I encourage them. “Be free.” They travel a little farther, sniffing cautiously as they go.
I am happy. Proud of myself, too. I wish I could have freed all those animals. I wonder if there’s still time. I could probably free the mice and maybe the hamster before nine o’clock.
Turning back to the door, I’m suddenly face-to-face with Julie. Her face is tight and serious.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demands.
I stand firm. “It’s the right thing to do. Those rats don’t deserve to die. The other animals, either.”
“Those rats are very sick,” Julie says, “and now they’re going to die a much more terrible, drawn-out death, thanks to you.”
“But…” I begin. “I…I…What will happen to them?”
“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” she replies. “Their eyesight will begin to fail. They’ll become dehydrated and—”
I hold up one hand to stop her. “You’re right,” I say. “I don’t want to know. I didn’t think about all that.”
“In this kind of work, you can’t afford not to think,” Julie says. She steps past me, her eyes fixed on something I can’t see.
I follow her gaze. One of the white rats is darting in and out of the tall grass. Picking up my pack, I head toward the rat. Julie reaches into her lab coat pocket and pulls out some pellets of food.
It isn’t hard to catch the rats. They’re so tame, they like people and feel safe around them. Julie catches the first rat almost instantly, as soon as she extends her hand holding the food pellet. Soon we have the other four, too.
We walk back into the lab without speaking and return the rats to their tank.
“Listen, Sunita,” Julie says finally, “these animals are not anyone’s beloved pets. We didn’t kidnap them or buy them in a dark alley from someone who stole them. They were bred to be research animals.”
“Even the cats?” I ask.
“Even the cats. These animals are extremely expensive because they’re bred to be
“Oh, all right,” he says, unclipping the large ring of keys from his belt. “That’s very dedicated of you.”
“Yeah, well…” I reply. “Someone’s got to do it.”
I thank him, lock the door behind me, and toss my backpack by the door. The shades are drawn and the room is dark. Most of the animals are still curled up, asleep. Not bothering to turn on a light, I go to the rats’ tank. The five white rats are cuddled together, snoozing. I try to lift the tank, but it’s way too heavy.
How can I do this? My eyes dart around the lab. There’s got to be a way.
I remember my backpack lying by the door. That’s it! Grabbing the pack, I unzip it and unload the books, then return to the tank and take off the lid.
My rat friend from the other day is the first to look up at me. I can tell it’s the same rat because one whisker is slightly bent. I scoop him up and give him a nuzzle with my nose. Then I set him down inside my pack. He stands up immediately and starts sniffing. He probably smells the lunch that was in there just a moment before. I put his four sleepy pals in the backpack with him and zip it up.
Behind this lab is a supply room with a door that leads to an open, grassy field. The door is locked from the outside but not the inside. As long as I put a book in the doorway to hold the door open, I’ll be able to get back in.
Out in the yard I lay the backpack down and unzip it. “There you go,” I say to the rats. “You’re free. Go!”
I expect them to race out, but instead they stay inside the pack, sniffing. “What’s the matter with you guys?” I ask as I lift the pack and gently dump them out. “Get going!”
They just look at me and hang around as though they have no desire to escape. Freeing these animals is the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life—and they won’t leave!
My friend is the first to travel a littledistance. The others scurry after him. “That’s it,” I encourage them. “Be free.” They travel a little farther, sniffing cautiously as they go.
I am happy. Proud of myself, too. I wish I could have freed all those animals. I wonder if there’s still time. I could probably free the mice and maybe the hamster before nine o’clock.
Turning back to the door, I’m suddenly face-to-face with Julie. Her face is tight and serious.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demands.
I stand firm. “It’s the right thing to do. Those rats don’t deserve to die. The other animals, either.”
“Those rats are very sick,” Julie says, “and now they’re going to die a much more terrible, drawn-out death, thanks to you.”
“But…” I begin. “I…I…What will happen to them?”
“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” she replies. “Their eyesight will begin to fail. They’ll become dehydrated and—”
I hold up one hand to stop her. “You’re right,” I say. “I don’t want to know. I didn’t think about all that.”
“In this kind of work, you can’t afford not to think,” Julie says. She steps past me, her eyes fixed on something I can’t see.
I follow her gaze. One of the white rats is darting in and out of the tall grass. Picking up my pack, I head toward the rat. Julie reaches into her lab coat pocket and pulls out some pellets of food.
It isn’t hard to catch the rats. They’re so tame, they like people and feel safe around them. Julie catches the first rat almost instantly, as soon as she extends her hand holding the food pellet. Soon we have the other four, too.
We walk back into the lab without speaking and return the rats to their tank.
“Listen, Sunita,” Julie says finally, “these animals are not anyone’s beloved pets. We didn’t kidnap them or buy them in a dark alley from someone who stole them. They were bred to be research animals.”
“Even the cats?” I ask.
“Even the cats. These animals are extremely expensive because they’re bred to be
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