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“Huh… huh… are we almost there guys? Huh… light fading… legs turning into spaghetti… I can’t go on much longer!”
The chubby hamster staggered a foot or so behind the rest of the group, holding tightly to the sunflower seed in his paws. He stopped to lean up against the side of the tunnel, raising a single paw. “One… one second…” He huffed out, stopping to gnaw on his sunflower seed. The hamster in front gave an annoyed groan, setting down his shovel and adjusting his hard hat, before turning around to look at the one that had stopped. “Sheesh, Oxnard, we’ve only been walking for five minutes! We’re almost there.” He rolled his eyes, tamping the shovel into the dirt and leaning against it, waiting for Oxnard to finish his snack. “Elder Ham is waiting for us at the festival grounds. We gotta get a move on!” “Huh… sorry Boss. I get hungry when I walk long distances!” Oxnard whined, sitting down on the ground. “It’s okay, just leave me behind…” He gave a theatrical groan, flopping down on the ground. Boss sneered, balling his paw up into a fist and shaking it in the air. “Oxnard, you lazy cow! So help me I will come back there and shove that seed so far up your…” “Calm down, Boss!” Hamtaro made his way to the front of the line, doing everything in his power to hold the older hamster back. “Oxnard, don’t you wanna eat some festival food with us? Someone might drop some popcorn!” He peered towards the back of the line, his words causing the pudgy hamster to sit up, ears perked up. “I do like popcorn… alright! Count me in!” He rose to his feet, giving a victorious little jump and immediately hitting his head on the top of the tunnel. “Ouch…” “Heeeheheheheee! Gee, ‘Nardo, we should wave a lil carrot on a stick for ya next time!” One of the other hamsters in the group piped up in a thick southern accent, snickering to himself. “Oh, come now, Howdy. I’m sure we’d get to the festival grounds much faster without all of these childish shenanigans.” The hamster beside him gave him a patronizing pat on the nose. “Quit yer bellyachin’, Dexter! Can’t a fella poke a lil fun?” He sneered, immediately licking Dexter’s paw. “Ewww… Boss! Howdy licked me!” Dexter whined, wiping his paw off on his chest with a grimace. “Grrr… enough!” Boss boomed, raising his shovel to get everyone’s attention. “Single file, ham-hams! We’re almost there, and once we’re there we can have all of the popcorn and lick each other all we want!” He stated, before continuing to dig forward. “That isn’t exactly a comforting statement.” Dexter muttered in response, not really willing to outright speak up to Boss.“Only lickin’ you’re gettin’, buddy!” Howdy snickered, elbowing him in the side and poking his tongue out at him, leading Dexter to stick his tongue right back out at him. “Uggghh… boys…” The female hamster in front of them muttered under her breath, idly adjusting their scarf. “We can’t take you two anywhere!” The two bickering hamsters immediately ceased, looking back and forth between themselves, then back to the scarf-clad hamster in front of them.“… He started it.” They both spoke in unison, pointing to the other. “Ahhh… smell that fresh air!” Boss sniffed the air once he emerged from the tunnel, giving a long sigh. “I don’t know which is better, the smell of festival food or the smell of a warm summer night.” He raised his paw, pulling a poetic pose. “This is the kind of night best spent with someone you really…” “It does smell rather nice out here, Boss!” The white hamster beside him gave a polite smile, nudging past him. “Uhh… yeah. Right…” He mumbled, watching her walk past, before a deep blush covered his face. “That’s basically what I was gonna say.” He scratched the back of his neck, following after her. “Say Bijou, while we’re looking for Elder Ham… do you want to grab some popcorn together? We could play some fun fair games and…” “No need for search parties, I arrive when I am needed! Eheheheh!” A raspy old voice called from behind the group, giving a wave of his cane.“Salutations, ham-hams! Glad you could make it on such a beautiful night!” “Oh. Hey old man.” Boss muttered in an annoyed monotone. “How did you end up behind us?” “A soft-footed ham knows his way around the bend, Ross! This old ham still has some tricks up his sleeve! Hoo hoo hoo!” He chuckled, slowly shambling his way closer to Boss. “It’s Boss.” Boss stated, deadpan. “Sure thing, Shirley!” He gave Boss a hearty pat on the back, before giving a whimsical wave of his cane. “Can’t get too comfy basking in the lights and the smells, now, Mary. There’s spirits about…” “We really need to put you in a home or something, Elder Ham.” Boss muttered, inching away from him. “What’s that about spirits?” The old hamster cackled, laughing for long enough that everyone around him became vaguely unsettled. “Hoo hoo… I’ve been around for a long time, I can smell otherworldly shenanigans when I see ‘em…” He pushed the long fur out of his eyes, widening them for effect. “Been seein’ some straaaaaaange happenstances around here!” “You mean you’ve seen spirits around here?” Hamtaro pulled a worried expression, looking around. “…I don’t see any. Are you sure?”“Nobody said anything about g-g-ghosts!” Oxnard was already shaking, inching back toward the tunnel. “Maybe we should just go home and take a nice nap instead…” “Oh, come on, you two!” Boss huffed. “There’s no such thing as ghosts.” “That’s not true!” Bijou piped in. “Bijou’s right. There is definitely such thing as ghosts.” Boss nodded. “Hamtaro and I have seen ghosts before, in Boo Manor!” Bijou elaborated, pointing to Hamtaro. “Hey, yeah that’s right!” Hamtaro smiled. “They were really nice ghosts, too… but I don’t see any around here…” “Not ghosts, you daft fool!” Elder Ham bonked Hamtaro on the head with his cane. “Spirits!” “Ow!” Hamtaro rubbed his head. “There’s a difference?” He tilted his head, scratching his ear. “Of course! Don’t be ridiculous! Ghosts may pop out and scare the seeds outta ya, but spirits… they’re a little more crafty. I’ve seen ‘em… they’re all around us… there’s even one… right… THERE!” He pointed to the middle of the group of hamsters, causing a few to jump back in fear. “… That’s just Penelope.” Pashmina stated, pointing to the small hamster beside her, who had her face covered with her baby blanket, trying to hide from whatever spirits may or may not be about. “Don’t be scared, Penelope! Elder Ham’s just being silly!” She gave her a comforting pat on the head. “Heheheh… of course, of course… my mistake. Old eyes still play tricks on me…” Elder Ham gave a dry chuckle. “Come now, ham hams, there’s a basket of seeds with our name on it!” He pointed over near one of the festival stands, to what appeared to be a large basket of sunflower seeds. The other hamsters gasped, staring at it in awe. “Wow! Are those really all for us?” Oxnard grinned, running over to the basket and immediately jumping into it, digging through all the seeds and stuffing his face. “I’m in heaven !” He muffled out with a mouth full of seeds. Several of the other hamsters followed suit, laughing and digging and gnawing on the seeds. “That sure is a lot of sunflower seeds, Elder Ham! Where did you get them all?” Hamtaro shuffled over to the older hamster, while the others focused on the basket of seeds. “Hoo hoo… they were a gift, an offering, if you would…” He chuckled, shuffling over and sitting near the basket. “I’m getting old, Hampotato…” He muttered, rubbing his eye underneath the long fur that covered it. “Well, yeah! You’re the town elder!” Hamtaro nodded, sitting beside him, idly wiggling his toes. “Being old is basically what makes you YOU!” He beamed. “Hoo hoo… perhaps, perhaps you’re right…” The older hamster nodded. “…Hamtomato?” He looked over to the orange hamster, tilting his head. “Yeah, Elder Ham?” Hamtaro tilted his head right back, giving a slightly concerned furrow of his brow. “It’s been 18 years, Hamtarrot…” Elder Ham sighed, shaking his head. “It’s nights like these where I can’t help but feel like we’ve been… forgotten. Lost… in decaying memories and vague familiarity.” Elder Ham stood up, looking up at the mask stand beside them. “We’re lost.” “Huh?” Hamtaro tilted his head in the other direction, standing up when the other did and looking at the mask stand as well. “I don’t really know what you mean by that… but we’re not lost! Boss is an expert navi-ma-gator! We’ll make it back home just fine!” He chuckled, patting the old hamster on the shoulder. “Hee hee… you’re still as innocent as the day we arrived here, ain’tcha? Warms my old heart.” Elder Ham chuckled, shaking his head. He continued to stare at the mask stand. “Whatcha lookin’ at, Elder Ham?” Hamtaro squinted, trying to see if he could see it too. “Nothing. Just reminiscing.” Elder Ham sighed. “Now then. How about we get some seeds before everyone else gets to ‘em? Hmm?”
“$30 for a plastic mask?”
The girl muttered under her breath. “Yeah, right. You can buy one with your own money if you want one so bad, Hana.” She gave her friend a little nudge. “Aww, come on Sara! They’re so cute!” The other girl whined, pulling on her arm. “I wasted all of my money on the goldfish game already, I neeeeeeeed one!” She exaggerated, bringing the back of her wrist to her forehead theatrically. “I’ll die without one!” “Ugggh. Fine.” Sara rolled her eyes, pulling some money out of her coin purse. “It’s not going to fit you anyway, they’re made for small children.” “I don’t care, I’ll hang it on my wall!” Hana beamed, leaning over the stand to look at all of the knockoff cartoon masks hanging from it. “Should I get Pikachu or Doraemon?” “They have Doraemon?” Sara squinted at the masks, trying to point it out. “Yeah, look! Right there next to the hamster one!” Hana pointed it out, bouncing a little in her excitement. “Huh, they usually don’t have older ones like that… wait. Is that hamster one supposed to be Hamtaro?” She gave a small smile. “Yesserie!” The old man running the stand grinned, taking the mask off of the peg it was hanging from and holding it up. “Got one of the girl hamster too.” He pointed to the mask that hung to the other side of the Hamtaro one. “Oh man, I haven’t thought about Hamtaro in years! I used to play the GBA game all the time!” Hana chuckled. “What was the girl ones name again? She was in a weird love triangle with Hamtaro and the old guy…” “Bijou.” Sara gave an affirmative nod. “Yeah, in one of the OVAs Hamtaro ends up falling in love with some princess from another world, and in the series Boss ends up crushing on plenty of other girls… I kind of understand why they stopped making English translations, the series got weird. They started throwing in a lot of weird twists like alternate dimensions and stuff.” She gave a small chuckle. “That does sound weird!” Hana chuckled. “… You know, now I actually kinda want the Hamtaro one, it is pretty cute.” “Be my guest.” Sara handed her the money, which she promptly handed to the old man. “Hoo hoo, enjoy!” The old man handed her the Hamtaro mask, giving a whimsical little wink. “Thanks, mister! Come on, my Mom should be picking us up soon!” Hana pulled the mask over her head, letting it rest on top of it, before taking Sara by the arm and dragging her along. “Alright, alright! I’m coming!” She chuckled, bounding on after her. “Hoo hoo hoo…” The old man sat back down, pulling another Hamtaro mask out of the box beside him and hanging it on the peg where the other used to hang. “Have a happy festival!” He waved after them, before reaching back into the box and pulling out a bag of sunflower seeds to snack on. He glanced at the decorative basket beside his stand, and took a handful of sunflower seeds, filling the basket back up. “Enjoying the festival, ham hams? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of seeds to go around! Hoo hoo hoo!”