Shoki the Hedgehog Wants a Hug

In a big garden full of flowers and trees lived a little hedgehog named Shoki. Shoki was very sweet and cheerful; he loved to laugh, play, and sing. On his back were lots of little spines that protected him when he sensed danger. But Shoki wished for one thing more than anything else: a warm hug from his friends.

Shoki lived in a little home under a pile of dry leaves near the rosebush. Every morning he woke to the sound of the birds, washed his face with drops of dew, ate some berries, and went out to play. He loved rolling on the grass like a ball, and everyone laughed when they saw him roll, then stand up and say, "I'm a prickly ball!"

Every morning, Shoki's friends played together under the big tree. There was Bunduqa the rabbit with her long ears, Fustuq the squirrel with his big tail, and Zaqzouqa the sparrow, who sang the most beautiful songs. When playtime was over, the friends hugged each other and said, "See you tomorrow!"

Shoki played with them every day: hide-and-seek, gathering acorns, and jumping over logs. He was very good at hide-and-seek, because he could curl up and hide among the leaves. But when playtime ended and the friends hugged, Shoki stood a little way off, watching them silently and wishing he could join in.

Bunduqa loved carrots and jumping high, Fustuq loved hazelnuts and hid them in the tree trunk for winter, and Zaqzouqa loved waking up early and waking everyone with her morning song. Shoki loved his friends very much. Every morning he carried berries to them and left them in front of their homes as a little surprise. They were happy with his gift and said, "Thank you, Shoki! You're a generous friend!"

One day, Shoki went up to Fustuq, opened his little arms, and said, "Shall we hug, Fustuq?" But Fustuq jumped back. "Sorry, Shoki, your spines hurt me!" Then Shoki went up to Zaqzouqa, but she flew up to a branch and said kindly, "I love you, Shoki, but I'm afraid of your spines."

Shoki tried once more and went up to Bunduqa the rabbit, but he stopped. "No… maybe she'll get hurt too." And he stepped back. That night Shoki couldn't sleep well. He looked at the moon from his little home and said, "Moon, can a hedgehog like me ever get a hug?"

Shoki sat alone under a tree, and a little tear fell from his eye. "Why do I have spines?" he said sadly. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want one hug." Colorful autumn leaves fell slowly around him, yellow, red, and orange, as if trying to comfort him. A little ant carrying a grain of wheat passed by and stopped. "Don't be sad, Shoki. Your spines are beautiful, and they protect you from the fox." "I know, Ant," said Shoki, "but I feel lonely when everyone hugs except me." The ant patted his foot and went on her way.

Then his mother, the big hedgehog, came and saw him looking sad. She sat beside him. "What's wrong, Shoki?" He told her everything. She came close and gave him a gentle hug; her spines were just like his, so neither hurt the other. "My son," she said, "your spines are part of you, and they're beautiful. Your friends love you; they just need a way. Don't give up."

Bunduqa saw her friend looking sad, so she came and sat beside him. "What's wrong, Shoki?" "No one can hug me because of my spines," said Shoki. Bunduqa thought for a moment, twitching her long ears right and left, then jumped up. "I have an idea! Wait here, Shoki. I'll be right back!"

As she ran, Bunduqa thought, "What protects our hands from sharp things?" She remembered how her grandmother picked roses from the thorny bush wearing thick gloves so her hands wouldn't get scratched. "That's it!" she said happily. "Gloves!" And she ran even faster.

Bunduqa ran to her home under the ground and soon came back wearing a pair of pink gloves made of soft wool that her grandmother had made for her in the winter. "Now your spines won't hurt me!" she said with a smile. "Come here, Shoki!" And she opened her arms wide.

When Shoki saw the gloves, his eyes grew wide. "Are you sure, Bunduqa? I don't want you to get hurt." "I'm completely sure," said Bunduqa. "This wool is thick and soft, and the spines won't go through it." Then she added, laughing, "And if I feel any prick, I'll say 'Ow!' and we'll laugh together."

Shoki came closer slowly, and Bunduqa gave him a long, warm hug. Shoki closed his eyes and smiled the biggest smile of his life. "Thank you, Bunduqa! This is the best hug in the world!" Bunduqa laughed. "Friends always find a way to be together."

The hug was long and warm, and Bunduqa didn't feel any pain at all. "Look, Shoki! Nothing hurts!" Shoki was so happy that he began jumping in place, then rolled on the grass with joy, and Bunduqa laughed and laughed. "Now I know friends always find a solution!" said Shoki.

Shoki's mother came and saw her son in Bunduqa's arms, and her eyes filled with happy tears. "Thank you, little one," she told Bunduqa. "You thought with your heart before your head." Bunduqa was shy. "Shoki is my friend, and friends do anything to make each other happy." And Shoki's mother decided to knit little gloves for all of Shoki's friends, in the different colors they loved.

Fustuq and Zaqzouqa saw what had happened, and they came over. "We're sorry, Shoki. We didn't mean to make you sad." Then Fustuq brought a big soft leaf, laid it on Shoki's back, and hugged him carefully. Zaqzouqa flew down, stood on Shoki's head, and sang him a beautiful song about friendship. Everyone laughed, and Shoki was very happy.

Then Zaqzouqa said, "I have an idea too! I'll make Shoki a hat of flowers and put it on his spines, so he'll be like a walking garden!" She flew off to gather little flowers and gently tucked them among his spines. Shoki became colorful and beautiful, red, yellow, and blue. He looked at himself in the pond water and said, "How amazing! My spines are carrying flowers!"

The next day, a strong wind blew, and lots of apples flew off the big tree and rolled everywhere. "What a shame!" said Fustuq. "How will we gather all these apples?" Shoki smiled. "Leave it to me!" He rolled over the apples, and they all stuck to his spines; then he carried them to his friends' homes. Everyone clapped and said, "Your spines are wonderful, Shoki!"

The friends understood that Shoki's spines weren't a bad thing, but something special that helped him and helped them. Each of them began to say what made them special: Bunduqa jumps high, Fustuq climbs trees fast, Zaqzouqa sings the most beautiful songs, and Shoki carries things on his spines. "We're all different," said Bunduqa, "and that's why we're a wonderful team!"

From that day on, the friends brought gloves and soft leaves whenever they played with Shoki. And everyone learned a lovely lesson: each of us is different from the others, and that's a beautiful thing. True friends don't stay away from us because we're different; they think with us and find a gentle way to show us love.