Spike and prickles make some friends

SPIKE AND PRICKLES MAKE SOME FRIENDS
Michael Bellerby

RESUME

Our world is a very interesting place, unfortunately for us there are
always a host of hidden dangers lurking around every unfamiliar corner.
There are some people who are not always what they seem to be.
Unfortunately the same can be said in the animal world too. But Spike
and his young brother Prickles will teach you young children the danger
of talking to such people and going with them when they
shouldn't.

SPIKE AND PRICKLES MAKE SOME FRIENDS
MICHAEL BELLERBY

Deep in the forest of Four Leaf wood there lived lots of different
animals, some were friendly and were some not so friendly. But I'll
begin with a real friendly pair called Spike and Prickles, a pair of
hedgehog brothers who were going to be let out on their own for the
very first time.

Spike yawned loudly as he dreamily woke up. The sun flickered through
his bed of leaves leaving him warm and cosy. He could have quite easily
snuggled further under the leaves and went back to sleep, but then he
remembered that this wasn't just any morning; it was a very special
morning. It was the first time that he and his brother Prickles were
going to be allowed outside on their own. It was their first real
chance to explore the large world outside their tiny front door.

"Hey Prickles, I hope you haven't forgotten it's our special day
today," said Spike excitedly. "Please hurry up and get ready, we've got
so much to see and do, we'll never get started at this rate". He'd been
so excited that he had woken up his mother. "Now then you two, just
wait a minute, I want to talk to you both," she said, trying hard to
calm the eager pair down. "Before I let you two go out, I want you to
have a really big breakfast". Prickles stopped in his tracks. He had
been in too much of a hurry for breakfast and much too excited about
going out to think about food. But he knew that his mother was right
and that the world would be still be waiting for him in five minutes
when he was ready.

Now Spike and Prickles were as different as chalk and cheese. Spike
helped his mother in the home and went out with father collecting food
for supper. Prickles the naughty one was always misbehaving and getting
in his mother's way. So she was looking forward to this day as much as
he was.

When the boys had eaten and were about to set off on their adventure,
mother said, "Listen carefully to me. Don't go near the shiny black
line. It is very dangerous and full of very fast, coloured monsters".
The boys didn't really understand but agreed to obey their mother's
warning.

She carefully set them on the path and said goodbye. They were finally
on their own. They were so thrilled about making new friends that their
mother's warning was forgotten as soon as she'd gone.

As they ran into the forest the first animal they saw was brown in
colour, with a white bobtail. "Hello! Who are you?" said Prickles
nervously. "Hello there! I'm called Runner and I'm a rabbit. I'm the
fastest animal in this here forest. Can you two run?" he asked
hopefully. "Oh yes," said Spike "but not as fast as you," added his
equally "nervous brother. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Do you know
where there are any carrots then?" enquired Runner hopefully. "No we
don't know where to find any carrots do we Prickles. Well that's only
because we don't know what carrots are," replied Spike shyly. "You two
are not much fun are you?" said Runner bluntly. "I'm off!" And at that
disappeared into the forest leaving Spike and Prickles in a cloud of
dust.

They set off again, this time they met a funny looking creature that
was grey in colour and had a large bushy tail. "Hello," said Prickles
"Who are you?" "I am Sammy the Squirrel, everybody knows me. Don't you
know me," he snapped crossly. The hedgehogs quickly explained that it
was their first day out on their own and they didn't know anybody yet.
"Do you think you could climb that tree and find me some nuts then?" he
asked wishfully. They looked at each other blankly and shook their
heads. "Useless, useless," said Sammy unkindly, and as quickly as a
lightning flash he vanished up a very tall tree. The two brothers
looked back at each other and shrugged.

As the day went by Prickles said to his brother, "We don't seem to have
made many friends today Spike," as a tear rolled down his face. "Oh
never mind," said Spike, "I don't care. I'm tired and hungry and I want
to go home." So that's what the two boys decided to do. They set off
for home. On the way, they suddenly sensed something watching every
step they took, and it frightened them. Just then, from behind a tree
stump a large brown face appeared with an open mouth filled with
enormous teeth. "Hello boys, going somewhere?" asked the fearsome face.
"Yes we are, but who is asking please?" replied the boys both at the
same time. "It's only me, Freddy Fox, friend of everybody in this fair
forest," he said licking his lips. The hedgehogs were delighted. "Are
you our friend?" asked Prickles cautiously. "We have been searching for
a friend all day and we were just giving up hope of finding any, so we
were going home to mother and father". "No, no don't do that. I know
where there are lots of friends waiting to meet you. But first you will
have to cross a very busy road". The fox's eyes narrowed and a little
smile appeared on his lips. The brothers didn't understand the word
'road', but as they were keen to meet new friends they agreed to go.
Suddenly a strange and frightening sound filled the air and awful
smokey smell drifted into the forest. As they came closer they now
understood that the shiny black line full of the coloured monsters that
their mother had warned them about was in fact, a road. "Oh, so this is
a road!" said Spike nervously. "Yes and those are cars," added Freddy.
"They are horrible things that can squash you flat if you're not
careful." The two boys looked at each other; their hearts began to beat
a little bit faster. "We would like to go home now please," said
Prickles bravely. "Now then, don't be silly, you will meet lot's of new
friends just over this road. All you have to do is follow me."

Scarcely had Freddy stepped into the road when there was a loud
screeching noise quickly followed by a dull bump. The two hedgehogs
were so afraid that they ran away as fast as they could. After a while
they came to a stop. "I wonder what happened to Freddy," said a
puffing, panting Spike. "I don't know, and I don't suppose we will
never know," replied his equally worn out brother. "There is one thing
I do know though. I will never ever go near a road again. Or go off
with anyone without first telling our mother or father where we were
going. This is a dangerous place and I want us both to stay
safe".

As the brothers slowly got their breaths back they suddenly realised it
was getting dark quite quickly. "I think we are lost Spike, "said
Prickles. "No you're not," said a voice from a tree. "No you're not. We
will take you home," said a voice from a bush. It was Runner and Sammy.
"You helped us to get rid of Freddy Fox. All he wanted to do was eat
you. He wanted to eat us all. Hooray for Spike and Prickles, the
greatest friends in the forest."

Runner and Sammy walked the boys safely back to their home. They talked
non-stop about their adventure and couldn't wait to do it all again. At
the little hedgehogs home everybody said their good nights. "Can we
call for you tomorrow," said Runner happily. "I will help you make lots
of new friends, I promise". The little brothers smiled. They were
almost too tired to answer. "Oh yes, please do Runner". But before they
could say any more mother gently shut the front door.

Very slowly they began to tell their mother all about their great
adventure. Eventually their eyelids became so heavy that they drifted
off to a wonderful sleep. She smiled and kissed them both good night,
pleased that they were back home safe and sound. The world was indeed a
dangerous place.
ENDS