My first pet was a snowball.
Her name was Snowy, and she lived in between the ice cream (strawberry flavored) and frozen peas in my freezer.
I put her there so that she could eat dessert first and then also her veggies, because I wanted her to be a strong snowball until winter.
I was sad because after I put her there, I felt like I had taken away her family. When the ice melted and the cherry blossoms outside bloomed, I resolved to keep Snowy alive all summer so she could return to her family in winter, and then Snowy wouldn't be so lonely anymore.
Snowy's friend was Mr. Ice, an ice cube who kept her company when I thought she looked lonelier than usual.
When I woke up one morning, the power was out. There had been a big thunderstorm and everything was off.
I tiptoed through the hallway, wide-eyed in the dark, my heart fluttering against my ribs.
I opened the freezer...and Snowy was gone!
Thief! I thought, because all that was left in her place...was a puddle. :(