Lay The Hamster
Once upon a time, Lay the Hamster lived in a utopian garden named El Dorado, with her 2 sisters named Lexi & Lyssa. They played in the garden from sunrise to sunset, eating bugs & chasing squirrels. Lay would cause trouble trying to chase after a unkept bluejay who was not good for her. He was from a different tree with unruly animals. Her sisters would try to warn her about the bluejay, but she wouldn’t take heed to their warnings. The BlueJay would sneak his way around trying to get to Lay, but the sisters would be diligent in their efforts. This story will be a tale of foolishness & the path to enlightenment. We begin during a heated argument between the sisters.
Lay barks “We’re not even that serious, I can’t control his actions if I tried!”
Lexi Retorts “ Lay he doesn’t have anything good going for himself, He hangs around the darker parts of the garden. “He takes acorns from the squirrels & sells them for profit to the chipmunks, He stands on the tree stump all day doing nothing with himself.”
Lay says “ Lexi, that’s his business, just because we talk doesn’t mean I have to dictate in his business all the time”
Lyssa chimes in “ Lay that doesn’t make sense, because if you’re with him then what he does becomes your business.”
Lay responds “ Lyssa you’re gone most of the time, too busy at the school for talented rodents to be concerned with me” “ I don’t need y’all to hover over me, being overbearing all the time”
Lexi “ That’s unfair lay, Lyssa is trying to make a way for her life. She longs to be in the upper branches of the garden. Where the sun shines through clearly & the breeze is vibrant.”
Lay “ I’ll do what I want, He makes me happy & takes my mind off certain things. You don’t understand him like I do, I can make him better”
Lyssa “ You sound dumb for a speckled feathered bluejay is what I hear”
Lay “ Can y’all just leave me alone & stop trying to gang up on me”
Lay storms through the bushes galloping towards her den. She dives head first into her space & pushes her rock in front of the entrance. She calls into a little hole in the wall “ Hey BlueJay are you there?”
BlueJay responds “ Yes, i’m here” on the other side of the hole was a connected tunnel to the BlackShade stump, that they used to communicate in secret.
Lay “ I wish they would leave me alone sometimes, they are so fucking annoying.”
BlueJay “ Yea, you really should come to the stump”
Lay “ You know I can’t get there without my sisters stopping me.”
BlueJay “ It’ll be alright, you can just talk to me for now.”
Lay “ they were getting mad at me because of you, They wish you would stop selling stolen acorns.”
BlueJay “ I can’t, you know I need the cheese. it’s all i’ve ever known, I’m trying to be the next Roadkill Ricky.”
Knock! Knock! Knock! comes from the rock. Lay slides it open just a crack.
Lay “ What do you want”
Lyssa “ You should know that we only say these things out of love & concern. You shouldn’t be up his ass to where you can’t see the signs.”
Lay “ I’m not dumb, I can handle myself.”
Lyssa “ If you’re not dumb then you would do what needs to be done.”
Lay “ You can leave now, i’m done talking.”
The sun sets on this day of animosity, hopefully when it arises again everything will have settled.
Meanwhile BlueJay at home
Bluejay “ I don’t have to live here you know, I can get my own shit going.”
His mom “ then get out, we don’t want no ungrateful chick under our roof.”
Bluejay “ Alright, bye.”
Bluejay flaps his wings & vanishes into the night sky. He goes back to the BlackShade stump, his true home for now.
Lay awakes to the subtle ray of sunshine through a small hole in her den, she realizes that she had slept most of the day. She forgot that she had a hair appointment at the stream. She stumbles as she races to get up, she shoves her rock hard to move it out the way. She bolts out her den, through the paths of the lower village & towards the stream. When she arrives she sees her stylist waiting on her with a frown. Her stylist is a field cat named Joy
Joy blurts “ Lay why are you a hour late, I don’t have time to waste on you.”
Lay responds “ I’m sorry, I overslept. I had a really long night with my family”
Joy gives her a look of annoyance, finally letting it subside
Joy says “Well, what happened with them?”
Lay looks uncertain at first, does she really want to tell her business to her? Can she truly trust her intentions? Putting the worries to the side.
Lay says “Just them being to worried about me & who I talk to.”
Joy “Well what are they worried about with him?”
Lay responds “ About him & his decisions in life, as if I can control that.”
Joy utters “ Well what does he do lay?”
Lay rolls her eyes “ He just steals acorns from the squirrels & sells them back to the chipmunks. It’s not like he is killing anyone. It’s something a lot of people do especially people from where we are from.”
Joy “That doesn’t make it right though, plus you say y’all are only talking & “aren’t that serious” so why keep defending him or staying around for his foolishness?”
Lay sits in her thoughts for a few seconds
Lay “Honestly, I can’t answer that question. It’s just something about him.”
Joy shakes her head in disapproval. Joy finishes lays hair & gives her a hug because she could tell she needed it.
Lay was walking home when she saw BlueJay walking with a group of other tattered birds. She approaches them.
Lay “ BlueJay look at my hair, doesn’t it look nice?”
BlueJay” Yeah it looks good.”
one of the birds looks at lay he slyly says
“Man leave that hoe alone, we got shit to tend to.”
BlueJay “ Aye man chill, you doing too much.”
Lay “ Blue, you gonna let him talk to me like that?”
BlueJay “Naw, but I do gotta go though. I’ll be at the stump tonight, just call for me when you get home.”
Lay looks shocked in his response, her heart sunken a little. She realizes she doesn’t really expect much from Blue, but she didn’t expect that either.
She walks back home, her day ruined slightly
a few days past & life goes along as normal. Lay attends school & she sees BlueJay but doesn’t speak to him. It does not feel the same being around him now, something is off after that situation. Then one day BlueJay surprises her with a flower he picked to apologize. Maybe he sees the error in his ways
Blue “ I’m sorry lay, I really didn’t mean for my flock member to say that to you.”
Lay “ Why would you let him speak to me like that?”
Blue shys away from answering, Then he responds
“I don’t know, he is apart of my flock. I can’t turn on him because of you. We in business together, but I don’t really wanna lose you either.”
Lay “You choosing your niggas over me, what type of sense does that make?”
Blue “ I thought we wasn’t that serious, what’s the big deal?”
Lay looks away, “ Nevermind, thank you for the flower.”
She takes the flower & walks away. Truly Disappointed.
Lay thinks, I know that flower was only because he felt guilty, not because he truly had good intentions. I’m so frustrated because of my father’s recent passing, my family constantly pestering me, & the disappointment of BlueJay. It’s honestly a lot to have on my plate, but I guess I have to get through it. Hopefully I’ll be better for it.