Not again! I groan as my eyes blink open and I find my sister’s foot shoved up in my face. I wiggle out from under her and close my eyes again and try to go back to sleep. But the day is against me.

<BEEP BEEP BEEP>

The light turns on and a tired-looking girl bends down and turns off the alarm. My eyes, which had been comfortable in the dark light of very early morning, become blind.

I stretch, yawn, and get a drink. Maybe in a few minutes, I can go back to bed… once my eyes have become better accustomed to the light.

The girl, Liliana, looks a little less tired as she opens the door next to my bed and turns on another light. She surveys a row of hangers, pulls a few out, and stalks out of the room. A minute later, I hear the distant roar of the toilet flush.

When she comes back, she is dressed nicely, the familiar sparkle in her eyes. I grab some breakfast and wonder when my sister will wake up.

Stripping the sunflower seed of its shell, I study her. She turns, and I know she is only pretending to sleep. I dance over to her and give her a little nip.

“Wake up,” I say.

She gets up and gets something to eat. I stuff the seed in my mouth and wait impatiently for her to finish. When she is finally done, she goes back to bed.

I groan but come over to see if I can get some more sleep as well. Maybe later she’ll want to play.

After all, such is the life of a gerbil.