I'm going to tell you all about the creatures that used to walk around at midnight.
That evening, hedgehog decided to pay a visit to one of the gardens. It was a lovely warm day for the time of year.
Hedgehog thought he might find something yummy for his tea there. When it finally arrived, it didn't feel at ease straight away and moved very slowly, which was totally understandable.
Hedgehog hadn't found anything interesting along the way; the garden was incredibly tidy – the grass had been freshly mown, dry branches were piled up, and there was no fallen fruit lying under the bushes or apple trees. The little hedgehog could just about hear the sounds of his tummy making a little symphony.
It walked and walked, going round and round, to the right, to the left, but it couldn't find a single insect, caterpillar or any old, fallen fruit.
At last, hedgehog spotted a snail crawling slowly a short distance away, paying no attention to the creature standing in the distance.
Eventually, the hedgehog hurried over, and they met right next to the snail.
The snail greeted him warmly, saying, 'Ah, hello, my friend, how are you?' The hedgehog just grunted, giving it a bit of a snort, not too enthusiastic, you know how they are.
And then, my dear friends, the little hedgehog started to snort. It also started to sniff. And it panted. It was listening to the snail. And the poor thing was thinking to itself, 'What use is this to me when there are so many other food options? I'd better look for a beetle or a caterpillar.' And then, as if by magic, the snail and the hedgehog went their separate ways, quietly and gracefully, like shadows at midnight.
© 2026 Aga, author of Art in Cupboard. All rights reserved.
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