Про мальчика и хомячка

Hello, dear English learners. Today’s Advanced Reading is about the consequences of having a pet.

HANGING AROUND

(taken from the Exile paper for purely educational purposes)

to claw - хватать, рвать, тянуть, рыть когтями или пальцами
tissue - ткань, материя (особенно тонкая, дорогая)
rodent – грызун
tormentor - мучитель
Hamsters can be deadly, and not just from clawing the delicate tissue around various Hollywood stars' sphincters. Just look at how a furry rodent caused the death of its tormentor, 8-year-old Timur.

to abuse - мучить; жестоко обращаться
to ail - болеть, беспокоить, тревожить;
horrified – шокирован
The kid was home alone, abusing his little furry friend. His mother was at work at an FSB hospital. His father, an invalid, lay ailing in another hospital. And his older brother was visiting the father.
Timur had taken the hamster out onto the balcony of his third-floor apartment. But this time he got a little carried away playing his favorite game (Spanish Inquisition) and the hamster somehow fell off the edge. Timur was horrified that he lost his playmate.

brokenhearted - убитый горем, несчастный; с разбитым сердцем
ill-advised - неблагоразумный; неосмотрительный, опрометчивый

However, before running down to find the rat, Timur called his mother at work and received permission to leave the apartment. This would be the last time they ever spoke. On his way out the door, he put the string with his keys around his neck. Unfortunately, the hamster hadn't waited for the boy and Timur returned to the apartment empty-handed and brokenhearted.
Once he was inside, he turned to lock the door. At this point he made the ill-advised decision to leave the keys around his neck. The lock was slightly higher than his neck and, as he was locking the door, Timur apparently slipped and hanged himself.

enterprising – предприимчивый
dangle - болтаться, свободно свисать, качаться
About 20 minutes later, his brother returned home. He buzzed a couple of times, but nobody opened the door. His key didn't work either. The enterprising lad went out onto the street and climbed up to his balcony. Once inside, he went to hang up his coat and saw his little brother dangling from the lock.
The hamster has still not been located for questioning in connection with Timur's death.