1 Matthew watched C. J. walk into the classroom. He could tell something was wrong with his good friend. C. J. looked like he would start crying at any minute.
2 "What's wrong, C. J.?" he asked. "You look like you just lost your best friend."
3 "I did," answered C. J. as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Mr. Whiskers, my pet gerbil died last night. I found him all curled up in his cage this morning. I must have killed him somehow."
4 "Oh, no," said Matthew. "That is too bad. But I am sure you didn't do anything to kill Mr. Whiskers. Let's talk to Mrs. Kim. I'll bet she can help you."
5 The boys found Mrs. Kim preparing jars for a science experiment. Other members of the class saw how unhappy C. J. was. They followed the boys to where Mrs. Kim was working.
6 "Mrs. Kim," said Matthew, "C. J. needs your help. He thinks he killed his gerbil, Mr. Whiskers."
7 "Oh, C. J., I am so sorry," said Mrs. Kim. "What happened?"
8 "I don't know," answered C. J. "I just found him all curled up in the corner of his cage this morning."
9 "Let's see if we can figure out what happened," offered Mrs. Kim. "What do all living things need, animals or humans?"
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