'Tomorrow is just another ordinary day,' thought Rupert when he settled his head on the pillow. But when he woke in the morning he found his wife wild and ranting when he came downstairs. She was in the kitchen; manic and full of anger. Broken cups and pots and pans were scattered around the kitchen floor; a box of eggs lay smashed on the worktop, oozing egg down the side of the cupboard door; flour and treacle lay heaped and in puddles everywhere.

"It's either me or Percy!" she screamed at Rupert, reaching for the on-off switch of the food blender. Rupert stared in horror, for inside the blender was Percy his hamster. Percy was looking back at Rupert, quietly brushing his whiskers, unaware of the terrible danger he was in.

"Doreen, you can't!" cried Rupert. "It's murder!" "Very well, then," she shouted. "I'm off!" And she snatched up her handbag and the car keys, and slammed the back door and she was gone.

"Oh, Percy!" said Rupert, tearfully, "let's get you out of there and back into your cage." Percy pushed at the side of the blender, thinking it was his plastic ball - trying to roll it across the kitchen top towards a bowl of nuts.