Hide Your Hedgehogs

In the summer, when venturing outside in Alex's back garden at night, we see hedgehogs. We think they live underneath the chicken house. The first time I ever saw one of them was a warm night a couple of years ago, we were outside at about eleven pm, I'm not sure why, but it was a beautiful clear night.

I was walking across the lawn when I saw a shape close to the ground. Understandably it made me jump, but after I'd recovered, I had a chance to look at it properly. Before I actually looked at it properly I thought it was a giant rat, or perhaps a rabbit. But it was actually a really large hedgehog.

After that night we've seen more hedgehogs in the garden, sometimes we'll go hunting for them in the bushes. Because they're so spiny they have no need to be quiet, and they actually move surprisingly loudly, almost as loudly as we do; in fact, Alex has heard noises outside before now and thought that someone was trying to break in, but when he's looked out of the window he's seen a hedgehog wandering around the patio.

And this brings me to a certain friend nicknamed "The Hedgehog". He's been wading through a pit of broken promises recently, and I have to say, I feel bad for him. I remember those times, the times when recovery from betrayal seemed to swamp everything. I'm impressed with his continued optimism, I know I would probably have crumbled into a hole of misery, even though I may not show it. His nickname stems from something said a while back. He often hides behind a prickly exterior, but his fluffy underneath is well worth getting poked a couple of times. He's a good friend, and I really hope he finds the type of girl he truly deserves.