The fairy and the tiniest hedgehog – Part III

Three more days went on by and Prickle came close to finishing the fix of Pixie’s living room wall. With each new brick he cemented, layer upon layer of sadness seemed to descend on the tiny features of his face. He simply could not bring himself to forget or ignore that when the very last ray of sunlight would be cast out by the wall, he would have to go home. There he would find Pixie, most certainly for the last time. He’d have to help her pack up and see her little trinkets and treats all huddled up inside her green, used-up tote bag that she carried around everywhere. And her hair pins and earings would no longer lay about everywhere – on the windowsil and mantlepiece and next to the kettle and in his shoes and other such places. And he would no longer try to get himself into bed without moving either one of her ribbons one inch away from their resting place on his bed cover and bedroom floor and on each of the three stacks of books on his tiny nightstand.

I am just about done, Pixie. he sadly announced as he crossed his own threshold that evening. Your house is back the way it was and… Well, you can move back in anytime you please.

Oh, Prickle, that’s splendid! Pixie called from one of the rooms. She then burst into the living room, all one giant smile, and covered in green paste from her toenails to the tip of her nose. That’s such good news, I could just hug you this instant! And she rushed towards Prickle and put her frail little arms around his neck and squeezed, all the while forgetting that she was green and he was… A hedgehog. In an instant the expression on her face changed from joy to stupor and immediately to pain.

Aaaaaaaagh! Ow, Ow! Ow! She cried shaking her stung arms uncontrollably. My skin, my lord, it hurts, it hurts! Make it stop, Prickle, make it stop! And tears came to her eyes and she seemed small and feeble and in dire need of help.

What do I do? What now? What now? Prickle thought desperately. Oh, I know!

Pixie! Pixie! Stop yelling, please! Pixie, you’re a fairy! You can heal!

And sure enough, in an instant, Pixie stopped her whimpering and quite nonplussed remarked:
I am! I am a fairy! Gee-whiz! Where’s my wand? Oh, I used it to put my hair up. There we go! She touched both her arms with the tip of her wand and the swollen red specks disappeared one by one and in a few moments she was alright, yet again.

Thank you for standing fast, Prickle! I just lost my head there! Would have probably taken me a while to figure that out, silly fairy that I am. I have to repay you now. Our old tales say that he who saves a fairy is blessed by the forest, don’t you know. The fairy has to become his guardian and follow him everywhere and protect him from spells and urchins and bad dreams and such.

So… You have to stay with me from now on?

I suppose so, yes.

I see. Hmm… Quite a turn of events this is. Prickle said smiling and felt that, for the first time in his life, a large dollop of inexplicable good luck had landed straight on top of his hedgy head. However, honest nature that he was, he couldn’t stop himself from remarking:
But Pixie, I didn’t really save you. You healed yourself.

Nonsense! I would have suffered like a dog, perhaps for hours, if you hadn’t been here. I wouldn’t have dared to call one of my sisters either. And if I did I’d have become the laughing stock of the forest. No, I say you saved me. And if I say it, then it is true. Fairies do not lie. Now, I can move back to my own house if you so please, I shall stay there during the nights and return here during the day. I won’t interrupt your reading, I’ll find things to do to keep myself occupied. I know you like silence.

Yes, I do. But you can stay here. It’s better. I have too much room here anyway. What’s a tiny hedgehog like me going to do in this big house by himself now? No, stay. Please. It’s easier.

Very well, then! I’ll call my sisters and tell them my house is available for rent. But, in case they ask, can we please tell them you saved me from a wasp? By throwing a net over it or something? I really, really don’t want to be embarrassed.

Well… I guess so, yes. I thought fairies didn’t lie, though.

Oh, let’s not get into that. I’ll go make tea now. For two, right?

Yes. Yes, thank you.

And yes, as you may have guessed, they did live happily ever after.