Disclaimer: I don't own Hamtaro, nor do I own the other hamsters. You know this just as well as I do, so why don't you stop trying to turn me in to the authorities? It's not like I'm making money here or anything. I do own David and Jimmy though, so don't steal them without asking me first, k?

Hamtaro's Greatest Adventure! Chapter 6: Treachery at the Clubhouse

It was the day before New Years Eve! Boss was mopping up the clubhouse. The ham-hams were planning on having a New Year's party there tomorrow night, but some of the hamsters weren't sure if they could come. Most of the humans like to stay up and watch the parties on TV, so sneaking out might be a problem.

Boss was feeling kind of lonely. There hadn't been any hamsters around since before Christmas, with the exception of Snoozer, but we all know what kind of conversationalist he is. Boss had just finished dusting off the bookshelf and was about to change the sheets on the beds when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in, the door's open," Boss called out as he lugged the sheets to the washer. The door opened and David peeked his head in. "Oh, it's you," Boss sighed. "What do you want?" "Well, Boss, I just wanted you to know that the way you treated me at the party was pretty unfair. Do you really think that if I had gone around stealing everyone's stuff that I would publicly announce it?" David said.

Boss turned around and laughed. "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." "What in blazes does that have to do with anything?" David shouted. "That's an old wife's tale. No criminal is that stupid for one thing. And another thing, even if they are, I wouldn't be!" "Hmm, you've got some pretty strong arguments there, kid. Come back tomorrow for the party. I'll have thought about it enough by then to decide whether to trust you or not," Boss said.

David sighed and turned towards the door. He reached for the handle and screamed in pain. Boss turned around to see what was the matter. "What was all that about?" he asked. David cradled his paw in his hand and turned to Boss. "This doorknob is hot. That may mean that there's a fire on the other side of this door," David said. It seemed that David was beginning to panic. "I was in a fire once. The pet shop caught on fire before I was bought. I was very young at the time, but I remember it just as clearly as the day it happened."

Boss calmly walked over to the door and opened it a crack. Smoke poured out from behind the door and David leaped back. "David, I understand what it's like to be as scared as you are now. Leave this to me," Boss said as he ran out of the room. He returned with a bucket of water. He opened the door and threw the bucket-load of water inside. "You'll never do any good at that rate," David said, breathing hard. He got up and grabbed a bucket to help.

After about 20 minutes of running back and forth with buckets of water, the fire was finally out. David was breathing a lot harder than Boss, partly from exhaustion, partly from fear. Boss slumped into his chair and sighed. "What do you suppose caused that fire?" he asked. David could hardly talk, but managed. "I bet it was whoever tried to steal our gifts," he said. Boss rubbed his eyes and got up. David followed him, curious.

"I'm going to show you something interesting. I'm going to ask for your opinion of the situation," Boss said as he stood in front of a safe. Boss turned the knob on the safe until he got the combination set and then opened it. The safe was empty except for a few crumbs from a sunflower seed. "David, how do you suppose someone cleaned out my sunflower seed safe without breaking into it?" "Someone knew the combination, maybe?" he suggested. Boss looked at him and turned around. "I'm the only one who knows the combination," he said quickly.

After a moment of pondering, David turned to Boss. "Boss, are you sure you didn't have the combination written down anywhere or anything like that?" Boss grunted. "Of course not! Us field hamsters never forget! We don't need to write down stuff like that." "Then the only explanation I can offer is that someone broke in using some kind of listening device so that they'd know when the tumblers tumbled," David said. "Huh?" Boss replied. David grabbed a cup from the table. "Let me show you."

David closed the safe door and spun the tumbler around, locking the safe. He then put the open end of the cup near the safe door and his ear on the other end. He listened intently through the cup as spun the tumbler around. About five minutes later, he stood up and opened the safe. "It's that easy," David said calmly. Boss grimaced. "It's things like that that make me not trust you. No normal ham should be able to open a safe like that."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Boss," David said at last. "I don't appreciate the fact that you suspect me as the thief. I feel that as the newest and the most unfamiliar hamster, I'm being judged to hastily." Boss paced back and forth. "Well you have to admit, before you came, the only thing that would usually disappear was Oxnard's sunflower seed. Now we've got mass thieving, fires, and cracked safes, not to mention someone who can crack them. It's very suspicious, to say the very least."

"I obviously joined the club at a bad time. It's just a co-incidence. If I hadn't joined, who would you have blamed all of this on?" David asked. Boss looked as if he thought about the question, but then shook his head. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't shown up! Stop trying to entrap me!" "Boss, let's just put it behind us and start over. I'll forgive you for accusing me, and you forgive me for whatever you need to forgive me of," David suggested. "No, I will not! As of tomorrow, I am going to tell everyone about you and your treachery!" Boss shouted. "Sorry Boss," David said Boss turned his back to David "Sorry about what? You're the one who...."

*Clunk*

"Sorry about that," David said as he placed the frying pan back on the table.

TO BE CONTINUED...