The students in my Grub Street Teen Intensive Workshop class are awesome. They got an assignment to use elements from my own personal history as story prompts, and this is what it has led to...
(The chinchilla's name is Hammy. He refused to stay in the family business by becoming a coat, and instead followed his dream of being a rapper. Cotton candy also has something to do with it. Things get weird here at Grub Street...)
Oh, and here is a photo of the actual chinchilla I owned in college (her name was Kenga):
