The Great Escape

"Emma's gone!" I yelled at my mom. "She just isn't there!" I searched the floor
frantically to find her. Just a minute ago I was feeding her in the bathroom and
the second time I checked on her, she was gone. Since Emma is a gecko and is as
tiny as a mouse, she could be in any tiny place or crevice. I could feel my face
getting hot. She could be anywhere!

I rushed to my mom, sister, and brother. "I just checked on Emma and sh-sh-she's
not there!" I stammered. We all hurried to the bathroom and peered into the
vacant cage. I was definitely right; she was nowhere to be seen. Right away we
took action.

My mom and sister scurried downstairs to get flashlights while my brother and I
hunted for Emma. We searched in every nook and cranny possible: under our
bunk bed, beneath the messy dresser, in our crowded closet, and even in my
brother's bright orange room. She couldn't have just disappeared into thin air.

A week passed. It seemed like just yesterday when I got Emma. I could remember
when I first held her. Her skin as smooth as baby skin and her needle-sharp nails
pinpricking my hand. Now she was gone. My very first gecko, gone.

That night my mom read my sister and me the story Mustard by Jessel Miller. "A
miracle happens every day!" she finished dreamily. My sister stood up to go to
the bathroom. Suddenly she exclaimed, "I found her; I found Emma!" Sure
enough, there she was crawling out from behind the toilet, making little clickety-
clackety sounds on the tile floor. I was overjoyed! It was as if she was ready to
come home. I caught her and put her back in her little habitat. Then I fell asleep
contented.
Ever since Emma escaped, I now watch her much more carefully. I have learned
that everything needs a little adventure now and then, whether it's me or my
gecko.