Hamster House

They pretended to be hamsters. They had a running storyline they picked up every recess. They all had hamster names and hamster jobs, they'd play on the playground as if they were in hamster cages. The ones in charge, the inventors, Jake and Kara, were the husband and wife. He had a job while she stayed home (stayed cage?). Jake and Kara were a couple in real life, if the affection between two seven-year-olds could produce something which one would call a "couple." They hugged and kissed (on the cheek, as they thought hamsters might do) and ran around, they gave orders to their hamster children. They fought and broke up, and their friends couldn't tell if this was part of the game or if it was real life. Kara cried, Jake got mad. You could have sworn they were in love, that they were a couple. That somehow these two children, who had barely seen or done anything in their short little lives, felt and cared for each other so much. They loved. They played hamster house. They saw no distinction between the two.