R K Raker

The Hamster and the Gecko: - a Survivors' Story - R K Raker

"The Hamster and the Gecko" is a story of natural disaster, human tragedy, fortitude, and hope. Juppun, a Golden hamster beloved by his 12-year-old companion Yu-chan, and Pippa, a Madagascar gecko born and raised in a local pet shop, are washed out to sea by the terrible tsunami that hit the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011. Yu-chan's family suffers the loss of their grandmother and house in Soma city. They reluctantly accept the fact that Juppun was also lost in the tragedy. The enormity of the destruction and the radioactive fallout from the Daiichi nuclear power plant require the family to relocate to Hawaii, where Yu-chan's mother Kiyoko, gets a job at the University of Hawaii Marine Research Center. Kiyoko and her colleagues become increasingly alarmed about the estimated thirty million tons of debris created by the tsunami; a large portion of which is being driven southeasterly by ocean currents. They fear that if the wreckage is not cleaned up, it will come ashore all along the Hawaiian archipelago, causing another environmental and economic disaster of gigantic proportions. They struggle to create awareness and to get the people of Hawaii to take action. As the family rebuilds its life in Hawaii, they are unaware that Juppun is slowly heading in their direction, living on a floating pile of debris. Juppun, a courageous and clever hamster makes the best of his life on the island of wreckage. He builds a home, grows a garden, and learns to enjoy the taste of raw shrimp. He rescues Pippa from a marauding flock of seabirds and even though they are completely different in character, they become best friends. Juppun longs to be with his family once again and Pippa dreams of someday living "A Charmed Life."