One evening,in mid-summer,just before sunset,Percy Prickle was just tucked up,asleep in his cosy little house,number 8 Prickles Patch,tucked away beneath an old hollow tree-stump,at the bottom of Mr.Turnip`s garden.He`d been to visit a friend,who had been unwell,then had a long walk home again,so by the time he got into his bed,he was very tired indeed,and had settled down to sleep,and was soon dreaming all about whatever it is that Hedgehogs dream of,when his telephone rang.

"Whoever can that be?",said Percy,sleepily,and he picked up the telephone. "Hello",said a voice,"It`s me,Henrietta"."Oh dear",thought Percy,as he hadn`t seen Henrietta in a long time, but hadn`t liked her much,because she used to call Percy names,and make rude faces at him when they were at school.

"I was wondering",said Henrietta,"Whether i could come and visit you for a few days?It has been such lovely weather,and i have so much to tell you" "Well,um,er,okay then",said Percy,"When will you be arriving?".Tomorrow morning",said Henrietta,"I will be there at 11o`clock,see you then",and she put the telephone down."Bother,bother,BOTHER!",said Percy.He enjoyed living by himself,and didn`t want a horrid girl spoiling his peace and quiet.

Percy worried about it all that evening,as he ambled around the garden next-door to Mr.Turnip`s. The old lady who lived there,Mrs.Bodkin,was very kind,and often put out food for Percy and his friends.

After a long night searching for food,Percy went back to his house and climbed into his large,snug bed.Before long,he was snoring very loudly indeed,and was still snoring next morning,when he heard,as if from very far away,"Knock,knock",and then,"Tap,tap,tap" Percy woke very slowly from a lovely dream he had been having,"Oh my",he said,"I forgot that awful Henrietta is coming today".And he jumped out of bed,dressed,washed his face,and ran a comb through his spines,before going to the door,expecting to see the same annoying Henrietta that he had known at school.When he opened the door,he saw instead a young lady hedgehog,with a jolly smile,the bluest eyes,and she was VERY pretty! Henrietta walked into Percy`s snug little home,handed him her coat,and kissed him on the cheek,making him blush right up to his bristles!They were soon chatting away,over nettle tea and earwig cakes,and it felt like they had known each other for years.

The next few days passed very quickly,in a blur of picnics,walks in the moonlight and lots of fun,Henrietta was nothing like the naughty little hedgehog that he had known at school,and when Percy asked her if she would be his girlfriend,she blushed and said"Yes". Percy now skips around his little house,singing jolly songs and whistling tunefully, happy because he`s in love!

Who knows,maybe one day soon we`ll be hearing wedding bells!

See Percy`s next adventure:"Percy`s snowy day"!