-
Amy the Hedgehogs Girl
Miserable
Mr Peck
Her mum was in the kitchen when
Amy rushed in.
‘
How was
school?
’
asked Mrs Harris,
expecting the usual answer,
‘
OK.
’
‘
It
was
great,
’
cried
Amy.
‘
A
lady
gave
us
a
talk
on
wildlife
and
she
showed us a hedgehog
expert.
’
‘
A
what?
’
said Mrs Harris.
‘
A
hedgehog expert. Someone who knows all about
hedgehogs.
’
‘
That
’
s good,
’
said Mrs
Harris.
‘
You
’
ll need to go the library and see if
you can find some
books.
’
‘
Oh
dear,
’
Amy groaned.
‘
I
’
ll
have to see Mr Peck.
’
Mr
Peck
was
the
children
’
s
librarian.
He
was
a
mean
and
miserable
sort of person. He
also lived next door to Amy.
The library was almost
empty when Amy arrived. She looked along the
shelves, trying to find a book on
hedgehogs.
‘
What are you
doing?
’
snapped a voice
behind her.
Amy
nearly jumped out of her socks. It was Mr Peck.
‘
I
was looking for a book about
animals.
’
‘
Animals
,
indeed,
’
sniffed
Mr
Peck.
‘
What
sort
of
animals?
Tame
animals? Wild animals? Animals from
Africa? India? Britain?
’
‘
Hed
gehogs,
’
said Amy.
‘
Hed
gehogs!
’
bawled Mr Peck.
‘
The very worst animals
there are. They
dig up vegetables and
bite lumps out of them.
’
He pulled a
book from the shelves.
‘
If you must
study the horrid things,this is the best I can
do.
’
‘
Thank you, said Amy
politely.
‘
Make
sure
you
bring
it
back
on
time.
And
don
’
t
you
dare
bring
hedgehogs into your garden. Your garden
is next to mine, don
’
t
forget. If
I see a hedgehogs near my
carrots, do you know what I am going to
do?
’
‘
No,
’
s
aid Amy.
‘
I
’
m
going to squirt it with my spray
gun.
’
At home, Amy read the book
on hedgehogs. She found out that they
ate slugs and snails. The book
didn
’
t say anything about
vegetables.
The
next day she took the book back to the library.
‘
Wha
t
’
s
this?
’
said
Mr
Peck.
‘
This
book
is
not
due
back
for
another
twenty days.
’
‘
But
I
’
ve
read
it,
’
said
Amy.
‘
Have
you
got
any
more
books
about
hedgehogs?
’
‘
Over
there,
’
snapped Mr
Peck,pointing with his nose.
Amy
walked
slowly
along
the
shelves.
Where
were
the
books
about
animals?
She
was
just
about
to
rist
asking
Mr
Peck,
when
she
saw
something. It was an old cassette tape,
called
‘
Calls of the
Wild
’
. It looked
as if nobody had ever played it.
Amy took it
down from the shelf. It was part of a set of
animal noises.
This was tape number 12
and it was called Hedgehogs.
Amy asked
Mr Peck if she could borrow the cassette.
‘
Of
course
you
can,
’
he
said
rudely.
‘
Though
anybody
who
wants
to
listen to horrid animal noises must be
mad.
’
He stamped the cassette
box.
‘
And
don
’
t forget to rewind the
tape.
’
Hedgehog talk
Amy
sat
in
her
room
listening
to
the
sounds
of
hedgehogs
on
her
personal stereo, over and over again.
Amy repeated the sounds herself.
‘
I
’
m
talking hedgehog,
’
thought
Amy.
‘
I wish I knew what I
was saying. I
really need a hedgehog to
help me. I
’
m sure
there
’
s one in the garden.
If
I make hedgehog noises, perhaps it
will hear me.
’
Amy ran down into the
garden and made hedgehog noises as loudly as
she could.
She
stopped
and
listened,but
no
hedgehogs
answered.
Amy
tried
again.
Bnt only a cat came into the garden.
‘
I
’
m
going to keep trying,
’
said
Amy.
‘
I
’
m
sure Ican do it.
’
At last
she got
cold and she went indoors.
The next night
Amy tried again. She tried every night for a week.
‘
What are you doing out
there?
’
asked Mrs Harris.
‘
Wait and
see,
’
said Amy.
Just then the door bell
rang. It was Mr Peck. He stood at the door in
his dressing gown. Amy noticed that his
hair was wet.
‘
Mrs
Harris,
’
said Mr Peck.
‘
Every night when I have my
bath I can hear
a noise. It seems to be
coming from your garden.
’
Amy giggled
behind her hand.
‘
Noise?
’
said
Mrs Harris.
‘
Some
sort
of
animal,
’
said
Mr
Peck.
‘
I
’
d
put
poison
down
if
I
were
is the only way to deal with
animals.
’
As
soon
as
Mr
Peck
had
gone,Amy
dashed
out
into
the
garden.
‘
Mr
Peck thought
I was an animal,
’
she said
to herself.
‘
I
’
m
going to try one
more
time.
’
Amy
went
down
on
her
knees
and
began
to
make
her
hedgehog
sounds again.
Almost at once there was a rustling
noise and a hedgehog lumbered
onto the
lawn. Amy was delighted. The hedgehog and Amy
snorted and
squeaked at each other.
Suddenly a
torch beam shone in their eyes.
‘
What
’
s
going
on?
’
said
a
voice.
It
was
Mr
Peck,
still
in
his
dressing
gown. The hedgehog rolled into a ball.
‘
I
’
m
chatting to a hedgehog,
’
said Amy.
‘
You cheeky young thing.
Talking to hedgehogs
indeed.
’
‘
Excuse
me
—‘
began Amy.
‘
And
what
’
s
more,
’
Mr
Peck
cut
in,
‘
hedgehogs
are
dirty
little
beasts