This is the story of a very special gerbil. A very special gerbil named Jack. What made this gerbil so special is that he could escape from any cage.

Tommy's birthday was great! He loved all his presents. A new kick ball, a yo yo, and a kite were all great gifts. He felt like he could run faster than ever in his new shoes. But Tommy's favorite present wasn't a toy and it wasn't clothes. Tommy's best birthday present was his new pet. A gerbil named Jack. Tommy had picked Jack out himself, and had brought him home from the pet store.

Tommy loved to sit by Jack's cage and watch him. Jack would run on his wheel, nibble on his food, and dart through the tunnels. Tommy would put his hand into the cage so that Jack would start getting used to him. Every day when Tommy came home from school, he dropped his backpack in the kitchen and went straight to his room to see Jack. Every day when Tommy got there, Jack was working on his nest.

But one day Tommy got home and saw Jack sitting on the kitchen floor looking up at him. "Jack! what are you doing out?" Tommy scooped him up and took him back to his cage. I must have left the cage open , thought Tommy. The next day, before school, Tommy made sure that Jack's cage was closed tight. After school, Tommy came home and there was Jack, sitting on the kitchen floor again. "Jack! how did you get out again? You are really good at escaping."

It took a long time, but Tommy searched the whole cage and found a small hole in the back. Tommy got a piece of paper, cut it to the right size and taped it over the hole. That will keep you in, thought Tommy.

The next day, when Tommy came home, he opened the door and looked in the kitchen. Ah ha, he thought, no Jack. Tommy dropped his backpack on the floor and walk into the family room. Jack was sitting on the couch looking up at Tommy just like he was waiting for him. "Jack! What are you doing in here? How did you get out again?" Back to the cage he went. Tommy checked the hole that he had covered up, but the paper and the tape were still there. Tommy couldn't see how Jack got out.

The next day was Saturday. Tommy brought a chair over to the cage and just sat and watched Jack. He had decided that he would watch Jack until he saw how he escaped. Jack ran on his wheel, nibbled on his food, and darted through the tunnels. Tommy watched and watched and watched. When it was lunch time, he didn't eat. He just watch Jack. Just when Tommy thought that he would never find out how his gerbil was escaping, Jack walked over to the back of the cage. Tommy held his breath. Jack pushed on the paper with his nose. One side of the paper flipped open. Jack slipped through the hole and the paper flipped right back like a door. "Ah ha!" said Tommy, "I caught you!"

Tommy decided that it was time to ask his dad for help. After telling his dad the whole story, Tommy's dad went out to the garage. When he came back, he had a small saw in his hand. "What is that for Dad?" Tommy asked. "To cut the hole and make it bigger." answered his dad. "Bigger? But Dad, I don't want the hole bigger, we are supposed to keep Jack in. Not make it easier for him to get out." Tommy's dad just smiled. "You'll see." he said. Tommy couldn't understand. His dad cut the hole so it was nice and round and a lot bigger. It was as big as one of the tunnels. Jack would be able to get out easier than ever. Why was his dad ruining the cage? Finally Tommy's dad said, "Finished." Tommy couldn't take it any more. "Dad, how is a bigger hole going to fix the cage." "Watch this." he said. The he took a tube fitting and snapped it right into the hole. "Dad, you're a genius!" said Tommy, "You turned the hole into a door." "That's right." said his dad. "And now we just close the door." he said as he took a tube ending and snapped it on. "Jack won't be getting out any more."

Tommy knew that Jack wasn't going to get out this time. Jack stayed in his nest all day Sunday. Tommy wondered what his gerbil was up to. On Monday, Tommy made sure the the old door and the new door were both closed nice and tight and he went to school. When he came home, Jack was not in the kitchen, Jack was not on the couch either. Ha , thought Tommy, Dad fixed you .....

     "JACK!"           "How did you get on my bed?"

Every day that week, when Tommy, came home from school, Jack was waiting for him on the bed. On Saturday, Tommy and his dad cleaned the cage. When they dumped out all the bedding, they saw it. A new hole behind the nest, chewed right through the plastic. Tommy's dad said, "Well Tommy. This cage isn't going to work. Jack is just too good at escaping. We better go down to the pet store." When they came back, they had a new cage for Jack. A wire cage. "He'll never be able to chew through these bar right Dad?" "That's right Tommy. That is what the guy at the pet store said."

Jack liked his new cage. He ran on his wheel, nibbled his food, darted up the ladders, and built a new nest. When Tommy got home from school on Monday he opened the door and there was Jack, sitting on the kitchen floor waiting for him. "Jack, how did you get out?" You can escape from anything!" Tommy checked the cage. All the doors were closed. There were no holes in the bars. There was no way that Jack could have gotten out. How did he do it? Every day, when Tommy got home, Jack was sitting in the kitchen waiting for him.

Tommy had told his dad and they had a new plan. On Saturday, Tommy's dad set up a video camera to tape Jack and find out how he could be escaping from the cage. Tommy sat in his room and watched Jack all morning. When it was lunch time, Tommy's dad turned on the camera and they went to the kitchen to eat lunch together. Tommy was eating his last chip when Jack scampered into the kitchen. "There he is Dad!" shouted Tommy. "The camera must have seen how he did it." said Tommy's dad. "Lets go watch it."

Jack and his Dad watched the video. Jack ran on his wheel, nibbled his food, darted up the ladders, and stood up on his hind legs sniffing. Finally, Jack walked over to the side of the cage. He looked to the left and looked to the right. Tommy and his Dad leaned forward in their chairs. "This is it." whispered Tommy's dad. "Watch very carefully." Then they saw it. Jack curled up in a ball. His whiskers started to shake, then his head, soon his whole body was trembling. Then all of a sudden ...

     POOF! Jack disappeared.

          POOF! Jack reappeared ... outside the cage.

Tommy and his Dad just looked at each other, amazed. "Jack is magic! That's why he can escape from any cage." said Tommy. "I can't believe it." said his Dad.

And that is how Tommy found out that Jack the Gerbil had magic powers. Tommy and Jack were about to have many, many adventures.

The End