For Ms. Marcangelo

Now

Now, I am in my cozy bed after several years of adventures filled with happiness and sadness. I have been with people who give animals too many treats, a noisy animal who yells at the TV, impolite people who shut me outside their homes, inviting people who let me roam in their house, a person who did not have gentle hands, and loving people who always have a gentle heart. This is my story. 

My Past

When I was born as a baby hedgehog, I could not see anything. I was blind. Even though I was blind, I could hear wolves howling in the distance and smell dog poop, which I later learned smelled stinky. Also, I did not have an owner. I was a wild animal. I had a doting mother and one sibling who was five years older than me.

One summer morning, it was blazing hot, and I later learned that if you do not wear sunscreen on a very hot day, you will get a sunburn. Later in the day, I wanted to explore the world around me, but not the howling forest.  I learned during lunch that if you went into the howling forest, you would see pinecones that would chew you and later haunt you.

Instead, I scurried down the valley searching for a motionless pinecone to fidget with. At the bottom of the valley, I discovered a pinecone that was unusually long, and I checked for eyes and a mouth. There were none.  I gleefully played with the pinecone until dark when it was time to go home. Unfortunately, I did not remember which direction my home was. Left or right. I assumed right, but I was not totally sure.
 

I hesitantly tried right. On the right, there was a tiny brook leading to a waterfall with a tree shading it. I sat down by the brook and waterfall to take a drink. The water tasted as salty as salt. There was no nest for me to rest in.  I was too weary to go back to the other side, so I started to search for a temporary home, somber to be away from my family.  

I noticed a tiny, cute, and old house by the tree. It looked like people lived there because the lights were on.  I wanted them to let me in and sit by the crackling fire so I actually peed on the doormat. No answer.  I dug up a flower in a flower pot and ate it, but there was still no answer. 

I wandered to the back of the house, where there was a stone patio.  I wiggled one of the stones.  It came loose, and I could slide it out.  I was a strong hedgehog!  I aimed the brick at the patio door, and with a loud crash, the brick broke.  

Suddenly, an old lady with hair as white as snow heard the noise and rushed outside.   She exclaimed, "You are so small!  Come inside and sit down next to me by the fire.   I have a special treat for you."

You are so small! Come inside and sit down next to me by the fire.

I reluctantly crawled inside because I needed a temporary home. When I reached the fireplace, my treats awaited me. There were 43 of them: 18 gummy bears, 21 cookies, and 4 dog biscuits.  I gobbled them up and was very full indeed. Disappointed, I sauntered out of the house because she did not take care of me properly by giving me so many treats.  

It was the middle of the night so I decided to sleep under the tree, even though wolves were nearby. Under the tree, I was terrified to find a hungry wolf growling while asleep.  I would have to find ANOTHER temporary home.

Suddenly, the wolf woke up and sneered, "You woke me up in my sleep!  What a yummy midnight snack!"  I said in a quivering voice, "Set me free!"  I curled up into a ball and showed my spines.  The wolf snickered, "You have two choices:  I can eat you or you can give me your precious long pinecone."  I replied calmly, "I am too dangerous to eat." The wolf shouted, "Then scat!"

        YUM!

Quickly, I wandered up the hill and spotted a colossal house that looked rather inviting. There was a cat door with a lock that looked unlocked. I pushed it open, hoping that the owners inside were polite and would take good care of me. 

Inside the house was a cat- a cat as white as marshmallows.  The cat purred, "Welcome to my building.  This is my TV, and I sleep in my litter box.  My litter box is behind my couch."  I thought, "This cat is very silly indeed."  The cat, who seemed to talk for a week, continued, "I play on my roof and yell at my TV."  I said in a shaky voice, "I am not fond of loud noises."  The cat responded harshly, "If you want to live here, ignore it!"   

I asked the strange cat, "Where will I sleep?" The cat responded, "You will sleep in my big bathroom sink."  All of a sudden, the cat inexplicably yelled at the TV!  I jumped back!  I scolded, "Stop it!  That is impolite!  If you do that one more time, I will leave, and you will weep." The cat slyly declared, "That is not true.  This is your new home, and this is your last home."  I inquired, "Can I have a quick snack before bed?" The cat responded strictly, "No.  You have to go to bed in my sink." I complained, "Fine."  I went to bed in his bathroom sink, which had no blanket or pillow.  Irritated about the cat, I went to sleep but for only one minute (60 seconds).  

In the morning, I heard the boorish cat yelling at the TV again!  I decided to escape surreptitiously through the unlocked cat door.  I crept over to the cat door and pushed it open, excited to be free from the boorish cat!

Feeling miserable to be away from my family, I returned to the lady's house to have a treat. After that, I went out in search of a new house with no boorish cats.  I went on for several days until I found a house a little bigger than the old lady's  with a ramshackle storage shed that had almost tumbled down.  The roof had caved in 10 feet.  

I knocked down the trash can and threw it at the window, causing the people inside to come out.  I asked, "Can I come in?"  The owner petulantly responded, "Go away! Scat! Scat! Scram!"  I left.  

Go away! Scat!  

Feeling weary, I decided to go left, but the howling forest was that way.  A town with a neighborhood full of houses was past the howling forest.  I had to cross the spooky forest with the pinecones to reach the town.  Bravely, I walked through the forest, staring at the ground for the sneaky pinecones.

Everything was fine until . . . . . there it was! One of the crafty pinecones!  The pinecone jumped up and bit my ear!  What a sly pinecone!  I decided to teach him a lesson!  I ripped up a baby pine tree and threw it into the pinecone's mouth.  The pinecone chewed it, then exploded.

All the pincones fled in fear, and I was able to reach my destination.  After a few hours, I reached my next temporary home, which looked nice and inviting.  The family, which had a mom and dad, 10-year-old boy, and a 12-year-old sister, were watering flowers.  They invited me into their beautiful house and promised to take good care of me.