29 POINTS The Great Escape
“Emma’s gone!” I yelled at my mom. “She just isn’t there!” I searched the floor frantically to find her. Just a minute ago I was feeding her in the bathroom and the second time I checked on her, she was gone. Since Emma is a gecko and is as wee as a mouse, she could be in any tiny place or crevice. I could feel my face getting hot. She could be anywhere!

I rushed to my mom, sister, and brother. “I just checked on Emma and sh-sh-she’s not there!” I stammered. We all hurried to the bathroom and peered into the vacant cage. I was definitely right; she was nowhere to be seen. Right away we took action.

My mom and sister scurried downstairs to get flashlights while my brother and I hunted for Emma. It was getting darkish outside so the flashlights helped out a ton. We searched in every nook and cranny possible: under our bunk bed, beneath the messy dresser, in our crowded closet, and even in my brother’s bright orange room. She couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air, I thought; it just wouldn’t be possible. During the rest of the time we looked, the flashlights were spotlights putting the attention on the main person, only this time they couldn’t find that main person.



A week passed. It seemed like just yesterday when I got Emma. I could remember when I first held her. Her skin as smooth as baby skin and her needle sharp nails pinpricking my hand. Now she was gone. My very first gecko, gone.

That night my mom read my sister and me the story Mustard by Jessel Miller. “A miracle happens every day!” she finished dreamily. My sister stood up to go to the bathroom. Suddenly she exclaimed, “I found her; I found Emma!” Sure enough, there she was crawling out from behind the toilet, making little clickety-clackety sounds on the tile floor. I was overjoyed! It was as if she was ready to come home. I caught her and put her back in her little habitat. Then I fell asleep contented.

Ever since Emma escaped I now watch her much more carefully. She even has a small cage in which I feed her so there is no way she can escape. I have learned that everything needs a little adventure now and then, whether it’s me or my gecko.

What is the theme in this story?