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“You can pet Daniel,” Patti said, gently, “but it’s important to remember that hamsters are, by nature, nervous animals. So we don’t want to overload him.”
As Patti passed the tiny hamster along, Clarissa looked as though she was being given the most precious, delicate object in the world to look after. Her hands trembled.
“I love you, Daniel,” the nervous Little said. “I only just met you, but I love you very, very much.”
Leo smiled at Patti.
It felt good. So good to be able to bring happiness to the lives of the vacationers at Littlecreek Ranch. Sure, when she worked for Alpha she’d made a bunch of money, but she’d never really touched lives like this. At Alpha, she was just a cog in the machine. Rich people got richer and Patti tried not to think too hard about how hollow it felt to be making them even more wealthy. But here, at Littlecreek Ranch, she felt like her work actually mattered.
No. Sheknewthat her work actually mattered.
She could tell that the other ranch hands felt the same way too. Everyone worked together as a team and there was a sense of genuine camaraderie that had been missing in her life for so long. Everyone was dedicated to ensure that each and every one of their guests had an unforgettable experience, from petting baby hamsters, all the way up to experiencing luxurious horseback rides through the countryside, and of course the other, more adult pastimes that the ranch offered its discerning guests.
It was great being part of something bigger than herself; something meaningful and beautiful. Even though she didn’t get the financial reward from working here like she did at Alpha Capital Management, it brought her so much joy and satisfaction knowing that she was helping people make amazing memories.
Plus, it wasn’t like she was short of a buck or two…
“Is that too much now?” Clarissa said, as she gently stroked the tan-and-white hamster’s head.
“That’s perfect,” Patti said, smiling. “Just perfect.”
Her favorite hamster was Lulu. She was special.
Like Patti, she didn’t fit in. She was different, wild, something of a rogue.
The other hamsters were content to just go along with whatever the humans had in store for them, but not Lulu. She always seemed to be looking for new and exciting adventures, new ways to challenge herself and her surroundings.
“How’s my little spirit hamster this evening?” Patti asked, heading in to check on Lulu. She’d finished her work for the day, but always came to see her little friend before heading off to the large, communal suppers that Marco, the head chef, prepared each evening.
Normally, Lulu would be doing something unexpected. Boldly exploring each corner and crevice of her enclosure, running stop-start marathons on her wheel, or sometimes lounging around upside down in a handful of clean hay.
But tonight, Lulu wasn’t doing any of those things.
“Where are you, baby?” Patti asked, looking around the little cage, starting to worry a little. Eventually, to her surprise, Patti saw that Lulu had made a small hole in a bunch of hay and was sitting there, almost motionless. “Lulu? You okay, girl?”
It wasn’t just Lulu’s personality that marked her out. Her ‘look’ was unusual for a hamster, too. Her fur strands were variegated; an eclectic mix of creamy white, radiant orange, and an alluring deep gray. Each hair was different, making Lulu’s coat an ever-changing kaleidoscope of color, like a perpetual sunrise. It stood out against the standard brown and white hamsters, just like Patti’s looks stood out from most other people’s.
Patti’s sense of fashion was unbounded, a vibrant mix of punk and pastel, grunge and glam. Her hair was a canvas, a constantly evolving piece of living art. It went from teal to cotton-candy pink, from sunset orange to jet black, never staying the same color for more than a few weeks. A silver septum piercing adorned her nose, and her earlobes were studded with an array of mismatched earrings.
It hadn’t always been that way, of course. In her old life, she’d had to dress and act very corporate. Maybe she was making up for that now, going even more extreme than perhaps she otherwise would.
It was part of a new persona she’d built for herself. When she’d applied for the job at Littlecreek, she’d been very careful not to tell Takis, or even let on slightly, that she was a wealthy woman. She worried that if he’d known, he wouldn’t have let her come work at this place—a sanctuary for the vulnerable. Because the thing was, she was vulnerable. Just not in that way.
The lie had grown though, like lies always do, and it had become her identity. She hadn’t just lost a lot of money because of what happened at Alpha, she’d losteverything. That was her story, and she had to stick to it.
Patti quickly opened the hamster cage and reached in, her hands gently wrapping around Lulu’s small body. “Come on sweetie, fight a little. Where’s that plucky attitude?” To Patti’s disappointment, Lulu didn’t resist. That wasdefinitelynot like her. Normally, the feisty hamster would nip at Patti’s fingers playfully or try to scamper away.
Patti felt suddenly cold, as a spike of anxiety hit.
She knew what she had to do, but shereallydidn’t want to do it. There was no other option, she had to speak to the ranch’s veterinarian.
She had to speak to Trent North.
*
Solitude, Trent mused, was a grossly undervalued luxury.
He had his cabin set up exactly as he wanted it. Immaculately decorated with a mix of mid-century modern furniture and vintage pieces, the cabin was filled with interesting art, from a woodcut print of a deer in the forest to a framed poster of an 80s cartoon character.
