Once, when I was little, I was playing with the hamsters in my room and ended up squishing them a little. I thought their squeaks were cute and did it again and when I stopped they weren’t moving anymore. I walked right past my parents with them and put them back in their cage and under the bedding where they usually slept. My parents noticed it the next day when I was at school and when they told me I cried because of both guilt and sadness at their deaths.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell any of them what actually happened.

I’m so sorry. They didn’t deserve that. They were the sweetest little things. I wish I’d known better then.