My Dead Hamster Exposed Him

Summary

I got back from a six month work trip and found my pet hamster dead.

I couldn't just bury it. I wanted to preserve it, keep it whole. But when I carefully opened it up, I went still.

Its lungs were pitch black.

That kind of damage couldn't happen fast. It meant months of breathing toxic smoke. But my husband and I never smoked.

So who'd been living in my house while I was gone?