As usual, our Thursday night LAN party was put on hiatus in order to watch ER and booze it up. The way it goes down is, every time someone says the word "Doctor," you have to take a drink. Anytime they slam through those double doors with a gurney, you take two. If they deliver a baby, you have to chug the remainder of the bottle, so there's a little strategy there.

Suddenly, we hear this "PAF!" noise. Everyone's looking around, worried. Then came the smell ... the smell of burning fur. "Where's the chinchilla!?" my girlfriend cried, leaping to her feet. We all rushed to the office downstairs and there, in a smoking heap next to Greg's open PC case was a pile of fur.

You think this all ends tragically, but in my case, we were lucky. We were lucky to have a dedicated group of men and women who refused to write off the life of a small animal. Calvin cradled Bertie (that's my chinchilla) in his hands and screamed, "Coming through! Coming through!" as he stormed into the kitchen. Greg wrapped a dishtowel around his mouth and yelled, "Gimmie a turkey baster - STAT!" My girlfriend dug one out of the kitchen drawer and handed it to him, where he proceeded to place the baster into Bertie's mouth and administer oxygen. This is what's known in paramedical circles as "Bagging the Chinch."

Suddenly, Bertie coughed and sputtered to life, then dove under the couch, trailing some smouldering fur but otherwise alive and well. High fives were given all around. But you ... you might not be so lucky. So please. Never remove the cover of your PC fan. Not if you care about your furry ones.

[Victim idea submitted by GameSpy reader Adam Leibel]