Photo: Maria Sieglinda
HEDGEHOG IN THE HOUSE [a true story]
WHEN SUMMER started, my grandparents wanted to spend it near nature. So we went to a hostel [a camp] my grandfather loves. After spending a couple days there, my grandfather brought us news that he caught a hedgehog! A hedgehog is a soft little bundle of needles who likes to drink milk and eat mushrooms.
When he saw us, he turned into a ball because he was afraid. So we left him alone so he would not be afraid and open up. Later, I went to the room where the hedgehog was and he was running around happily. He was so cute. My grand-mother said that hedgehogs love milk, so I gave him a cup of milk. At first he was scared to come to us, but then he came closer and started drinking. When he drank the milk he made very strange sounds. It was really funny! After a time he wasn’t at all afraid of us, so we played with him all day. But when the evening came my grandfather said we must let him go. It was sad, but I knew the hedgehog couldn’t stay with me. So about 7 in the evening we let him out into the woods. At first he just stood still and did nothing. But after a time he understood we were letting him go. He started off very slowly and then disappeared.
The next day my grandparents and I talked about the hedgehog: how he was drinking and making such funny sounds—and how cute he was. “It was really fun yesterday,” I said to my grandparents. They agreed. Then, later in the afternoon, I heard a sound coming from the woods. The sound came closer and closer. At first I was scared because I didn’t know what it was. But then I saw that it was my hedgehog. But that is not all! He wasn’t alone. He brought with him another hedgehog and a lot of little hedgehogs. I guessed that it was his wife and five children. I gave them lots of cups of milk. They weren’t scared at all. And they were all making that strange, funny sound. It made us laugh really hard. Then I started playing with them. It was such an interesting day for me. About six in the evening the hedgehogs started to go back to the woods. It was finally time to say goodbye to them because the next day it was the time for us to go home too. My grandparents and I will always remember the hedgehogs. But, I wonder, will they remember us? — Marina
[Marina’s native language is Russian. She’s been learning English less than 2 years!]
Here’s a very famous and loved short film called “Hedgehog in the Fog”.