The challenges of this story were that the main character has to be an animal and the story has to include the following words: doctor, squeeze, arrow. Enjoy reading the adventures of a cute little hedgehog heading southwards.
It was 40 degrees out there. The sun was not greedy of rays today and shone brightly as hard as she could. Spiky looked up squinting his eyes against the sunlight. From the location of the sun, he assumed it must have been just before noon. He was heading somewhere but he didn’t know where. All he knew was he had to get away from the heat. He felt it was getting hotter and hotter and he didn’t like that. Spiky knew that for a hedgehog he wasn’t fast enough and he was aware right now that he had to hurry. Hurry to the south.
He kept walking and walking to the south, wiggling his nose against a tiny rock or a leaf he found on the way. All this walking made him thirsty. He saw a beetle crawling on the rock, approached it and sniffed it. He didn’t feel particularly hungry but he grabbed it anyway with his mouth and slowly started chewing it. Maybe that would kill his thirst. He continued walking down a grassy path until the grass became concrete. It felt weird to step on this surface. Spiky suddenly realized that this was not just any concrete. This was road and it stretched for at least a few meters to the other side. He didn’t know what it was but he didn’t feel safe. He knew he had to cross to the other side and move to the south but he also hesitated to step on that concrete and move. He knew he was too slow and this heat was making him slower. If only there was a pond here somewhere where he could drink and refresh a bit.
He was hesitating for a little while when a sparrow landed a few inches away from Spiky. He was jumping up and down the street looking for food. He didn’t spot Spiky and continued undisturbed. The sparrow gave Spiky some courage to step onto the street. It was now or never, he thought, otherwise something bad might happen to him and he might need a doctor. But where would Spiky find a doctor in the middle of nowhere? So, he had to hurry. It was a matter of life and death. He quickly moved past Sparrow who flew away the second he saw Spiky coming. “Just a little bit longer”, he thought, “you’re almost through”. He was about to reach the other side when something quick like the wind overthrew him. He instantly rolled his body into a tight ball and stopped breathing. All he could hear was the fast beating of his heart. “That’s it, I’m staying balled up here forever”, he thought, “I will never move away”. But he knew perfectly well that he would not live long like this. He had to drink and get away from this heat. It was almost noon. He slowly rolled back ready to flee again, but there was no one. Whatever it was that threw him over, it was gone.
Spiky kept moving southwards. He didn’t need any arrows showing him the way. He just felt it was the right way. No, he didn’t even need to know or feel, he just fled wherever was safer. And south must be safer. Wherever it was. He moved now through dust and sand, through leaves and rocks. There wasn't any shortage of insects and bugs in the area. Spiky the Hedgehog wouldn’t starve to death. The sun’s heat was dangerously approaching him. If only there was water somewhere nearby. Spiky felt his strength abandoning him slowly. He walked now even slower; he basically crawled. Suddenly, he saw before his eyes his family. His mom and his dad when he was little. How they cared for him and showed him how to be a proper hedgehog. He hadn’t thought of his family for a very long time. Spiky decided to rest a bit longer by a big rock. He rolled himself back into a ball to protect himself. All he could think of was his family and the amazing feelings he experienced as a little animal. How protected he felt. How loved he felt. He was drifting into a long deep sleep, a very hot sleep, when suddenly his quills felt wet. He was curious to see what it was but also too afraid in case it was a threat. The former won. He unrolled himself slowly only to see standing in front of him a stout pelican. The pelican looked at Spiky and spat some water on him. Normally Spiky would ball up but he was too dehydrated and in terrible need of water. The pelican lowered his neck and opened his beak slightly. Spiky couldn’t believe his eyes! There was water in there. He reached out and drank like crazy. Drank so much he thought he’d explode. When he was done, the pelican spat the rest of the water all over Spiky and flew away.
Spiky didn’t lose any more time and continued walking southwards. South is where he needs to be.
