One

Philip Baby-Boar and Rodie, two plump, happy guinea pigs, were playing cards through the bars of their cages, which sat side-by-side on the cedar chest in Mahmee’s bedroom.

Rodie, whose name was short for the rather grandiose-sounding Rodie Rodentia, was mostly white with patches of black and butter. Her hair was short and smooth, but she had a swirl called a whorl on the top of her head. Her eyes were typical guinea pig eyes: big, black, blank and glossy.

Philip was a delightful fluff-ball of whorls that were white, tan, and a pinkish brown known as lilac. His eyes were the color of garnets.

Rodie was four. Philip was all of five months.

As they played cards that bright April morning, they noticed Mahmee getting their little travel cases out of the closet.

“We must be going to the vet,” Philip said nervously.

Rodie tsked and perused the cards in her paw. “Don’t be silly. We go twice a year, in May and November. It’s not May, and it’s not November, so we can’t be going to the vet.”

“Then where are we going?”

The sound of Mahmee popping the lid on the container next to the cedar chest made them drop their cards and stand up tall, with their front paws on the cage bars.

The container held timothy hay, their favorite food. They were wheeking and begging for it before the sweet, greeny scent hit their little pink noses.

“Please, please, please, please, please,” they implored as Mahmee placed fistfuls of hay into each pet carrier.

Their wheeks stopped as Mahmee gently lifted first Rodie, then Philip Baby-Boar from their cages and placed them in their carriers. Rodie’s carrier was made of hardy plastic and had a door made of shiny chrome bars. Philip’s carrier was a piece of soft luggage that had mesh panels on the side and a mesh panel on the top that was opened and closed with a zipper.

The prospect of a trip to the vet was forgotten as the piggies hunkered down in their carriers and nosed their beloved hay. They didn’t even pay much attention to the way Mahmee strapped their carriers into the rear passenger seat of her car and drove the short distance to the fancy department store where she worked. They were about to begin the biggest adventure of their lives, but all they could think of was hay.