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"Talking Hamsters"

Controversies are the one thing that tears the world apart, separating us on a deeper level than we ever should be. The difficulty can stem from the inability to accept change, or to accept that the change is far worse than people might realize. The issues become far larger than they ever should be and expand into an issue that will never reach any kind of agreement from both sides on.

Introvertedness and social anxiety is something that I've been struggling with about as long as I can remember. The crippling inability to go out and talk to new people is a skillset I wish I had. I mean, it's not that bad, I don't fear going outside or anything, it's just that it has been so long since I've went out and done anything with people, it now gives me anxiety.
I'll often find myself fearing to go into a store if it's crowded and instead opt for buying what I need online and waiting for it to arrive. I only ever really talk to people I know online over a voice chat, but other than that, no dice.
I know where the introvertedness came from, a rough childhood. I grew up in a house where the parents would lock their kids in their rooms for hours on end, forcing them into the outside world, only briefly, so that they could go to school. I knew no better, believing that everyone lived like this. I only later discovered it wasn't, got into it with my parents, and left home as soon as I was legally able to.
All those years of forced isolation, I grew used to being alone. I ended up enjoying the feeling of being alone so much that I continued to live like that, doing and learning all on my own. But now that I'm about to hit my mid-20s, I hate where I am now and wish I could have lived as normally as I should have. That's why, when I heard about the talking hamsters, I knew I needed one.
The talking hamster was a kind of hamster that was bred with a man-made gene that gave it the ability to speak just like humans. They are taught how to communicate before being sent out to customers. The main reason they were created, and the reason I want one so badly, was so I could have someone to talk to without actually talking to a person. I guess just to keep me company.
I actually feared getting one because there's this big controversy going around that animal rights leaders are completely against this distribution, claiming that it's cruel for the animal to be forced to speak and learn different languages before being sent out. Being treated like a household pet, while knowing full well it wouldn't be able to live to its full potential.
While I knew I needed something like this, I knew where they were coming from. I felt bad for owning one. I just got him yesterday.
When I got him, I asked him if he wanted to give himself a name and he said, Perrywinkle. I laughed at the name and I heard the hamster chuckle. But I knew that's what he wanted to be named, so that's what his name was.
He and I would just hang out in my room together. We'd watch movies together and talk about life and what it must be like beyond the walls of our house. I didn't have too much experience with the outside world, so I related to him on that scale.
Often times, I'd find myself describing what the world was like and Perrywinkle would be lost in fascination at what I was describing. He talked me into going to different places outside with him so he could see the sights. At first I was skeptical of the idea. I had anxiety as it was, it would only be made worse if I brought the controversial hamster with me. But I took a deep breath and followed through with my promise to him.
I ended up having a blast. He directed me to where he wanted to go and we explored what the town had to offer. There were even some people that told me my hamster was cute. He tried to get me to get one of the girl's numbers but I shook my head.
I had to return home not too long after, as I could feel so many eyes burning into me as they knew I was carrying a talking hamster. I think at one point I was even being followed.
Sure, I was glad that I was safe at home. However, I still saw the same person that followed me earlier, he would walk by my apartment slowly every day.

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