It was July, 2002. My sister was living in Auburn, Alabama all by herself, but at this moment in time, she was visiting the rest of us in Montgomery. I overheard my brother and sister say that they were going to visit the pet store in Auburn. I was interested in seeing the different animals, namely the rabbits, so I decided to tag along. There were indeed a number of rabbits, but one cage stood out from the rest: a cage filled with dwarf hamsters. The hamsters wanted really badly to play and my sister couldn't resist their cuteness. They were also on sale two for $6, so my sister succumbed and bought two of them to live with her in her apartment. One of them was a biter for the first several months, who she originally named Stitch and soon renamed Lucy. The other, originally named Lilo and later called Ethel, was as sweet as could be and instantly became her little baby. For a while, my sister had a job here in Montgomery and would bring the hamsters over for me to babysit. I would also often have to take turns with her boyfriend, who also loved them and enjoyed taking care of them. Pretty soon, all of my sister's friends became obsessed with the two little hamsters. When my sister got a job in Auburn, I decided to get my own hamsters since I would rarely see hers anymore. Over time, her other friends, including her boyfriend, got hamsters of their own. My sister had started a trend. Among the new hamsters were mine: Pixie, Dixie, DJ, and Bijou; my sister's boyfriend's: Mina, Sammy, and Oliver; and my sister's two newest ones: Buddy and Buffy. From that very same pet store, my parents also bought a rabbit for me just as I had been wanting named Snickers, who I received on Christmas Eve of 2003. All of these loving pets came into our lives thanks to Lucy and Ethel, and we could never forget that that's where it all began. Ethel had survived quite a few near-death experiences, such as when my cousin accidentally dropped her and knocked her unconscious, but my aunt managed to wake her up, and when her sister Lucy started fighting violently with her, forcing my sister to put them in seperate cages, only letting them play together every once in a while outside their cages. Ethel lived for more than a year and a half when she was infected with a tumor. Despite all efforts, the vet was unable to do anything for her, and on March 18, 2004, after saying goodbye to those closest to her, including her sister Lucy, Ethel was put to sleep. She was later burried in our backyard with my departed hamsters, Dixie and DJ. Though she is gone physically, her love lives on within the many pets, hamsters and rabbits alike, that were added to so many families because of her.