Robert A.V. Jacobs....Author

Daisy Weal and the Weenies

 

 

Are you wondering why there are no one-and-a-half metre high Hedgehogs anymore? There used to be quite a few, but they all disappeared. You were probably one of the majority of people who never saw one anyway, but just because you didn’t see them does not mean that they didn’t exist, because I can vouch for the fact that they most certainly did. That is until one night when Daisy became involved...

 

*****

 

…It was the middle of the night by her little bedside clock, when Daisy was woken up by scratching noises in her bedroom. It had been well over a year since the Grelflin had visited, and ended up with the tragedy of losing them all, so Daisy was quite sure that it couldn’t be another of those.

 

She tried to keep her breathing natural, and reached out with her senses. She was surprised when she encountered a block. It was quite powerful, but even at only five, Daisy’s powers were awesome, and she had no trouble moving it to one side to allow her to creep in.

 

“What are you doing?” gasped a voice, “get out of my head at once.”

 

“Why?” asked Daisy reasonably, “You snuck into my bedroom uninvited…”

 

“Maybe,” interrupted the voice, “but that doesn’t mean you are at liberty to poke about wherever you like.”

 

“Before I do more than poke,” said Daisy, “perhaps you would like to explain what you are doing in my bedroom?”

 

“I am looking for a Windle for a Weeny,” said the voice.

 

“And you are?” prompted Daisy,

 

“I’m a Weeny of course, what else would I be?

 

“No, I meant your name.” clarified Daisy

 

“Oh, yes… Sorry… It’s Wendy.”

 

Well at least it a normal name, and ‘Wendy the Weeny’ does have a certain ring to it, thought Daisy.

 

“I thought so too,” said Wendy.

 

“So you read minds then?”

 

“Yes, if they are strong like yours, but most normal humans are just babble.”

 

“I know what you mean,” agreed Daisy, “I have the same trouble.”

 

“But I still have to find my Windle,”

 

“Ok I’ll help, but first I need to see you. Are you ok with the light if I switch it on?”

 

“Yes that’ll be fine.”

 

Daisy reached across to her bedside table and switched on the lamp. She almost jumped clean out of the bed when she saw the one-and-a-half metre high Hedgehog sitting by the wall,

 

“You are a Hedgehog,” she gasped.

 

“No no no. We are Weenies. It’s only humans that call us Hedgehogs. It’s not nice, and we don’t spend all of our time under hedges, and we are definitely NOT hogs.”

 

“But you are so big.” said Daisy, “The only Hedge… err… Weenies that I have ever seen have been quite small.”

 

“That’s because I am a member of the royal family… I am a Princess really… We don’t go out a lot, because… well you can imagine what most humans would do if we were seen wandering about.”