Sophia the Hamster always felt at her calmest when she was inside her hamster ball. To her, the ball was a bastion of safety: the firm, seemingly impenetrable transparent plastic the ball was made of shielded her from the myriad dangers of the outside world, the regular pattern of airholes all around it kept her breathing unrestricted, and it latched closed on the inside so she alone had control over her security. The ball was just big enough that she could comfortably stand up straight inside it.
Today, a recently-made friend of Sophia's, a bluejay named Rho, had invited her to hang out with her at the top of a grassy hill. The hamster had never been up the hill before, but it was one of the bluejay's favorite hangout spots due to its great view of the nearby town. Sophia stared up the hill, contemplating her method of ascent.
I can do this. I'm inside my hamster ball; nothing bad can happen to me!
Bravely Sophia began to march up the hill, but her hamster ball gave her little traction on the grassy slope, and before she knew it she was tumbling helplessly in her ball as it rolled back down. Undaunted, she pushed herself to her feet and tried again, putting on more speed this time. This time she got a little further, but the end result was the same. Again and again the hamster fought the slope of the hill, gaining more altitude every time before gravity took it back from her. On her fifth try she finally saw the hill's summit, at which her bluejay friend was lounging. Sophia smiled and waved to her friend...
"Hi, Rho!"
...but the ground she'd stopped on wasn't as level as she'd thought, and she quickly paid the price for letting her guard down. The next thing that escaped the hamster's lips was a loud scream as she and her ball disappeared down the hill.

"Sophia! Sophia, are you okay?"
Sophia rubbed her head as she heard Rho's voice. She and her hamster ball had rolled all the way down the hill and struck a fence at the edge of town with enough force to break it apart, but thankfully the impact had brought her to a stop. In front of her knelt Rho, the bluejay's eyes full of worry.
"I saw the whole thing, Sophia. I chased you all the way down, but I couldn't catch up to you."
The hamster tried to stand up, but couldn't stay on her feet. Not only was she dizzy from her impromptu downhill journey, but she was covered in scrapes and bruises from being thrown against the sides of her hamster ball, and she'd even twisted her ankle.
"Th-This shouldn't have happened... I trusted my hamster ball to keep me safe..."
As Sophia burst into tears, Rho rubbed her head, not sure what to say. The bluejay had noticed early on that Sophia's hamster ball tended to do more harm than good, and her battle with the hill had been a prime example. However, the hamster believed religiously in her ball's ability to protect her from harm, and trying to talk her into leaving it usually didn't go over well. After a moment of indecision, Rho decided to leave the subject alone.
"...Let's get you home, Sophia. After that tumble you could probably use some rest."
Gently Rho began to roll the hamster ball away from the fence, Sophia managing to stay upright on her hands and knees. As she did, the bluejay wondered about her friend's future. Someday, Sophia would have to overcome her fears and experience the outside world as everyone else did, without a layer of plastic in between. She couldn't possibly stay in her hamster ball her whole life...


A collaboration with  sonicinterface who wrote the story.
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All characters created by/belong to  sonicinterface