The Hedgehog Under the Bonfire

All week, Alfie had helped Grandma build the bonfire at the bottom of the garden. They piled up twigs and branches, old leaves and a broken fence post. It grew taller than Alfie. It grew taller than Grandma.

"Tonight we light it," said Grandma on Bonfire Night. "But first, there's one very important job."

"Getting the sausages?" asked Alfie.

Grandma laughed. "After that. First, we check for hedgehogs."

Alfie frowned. "Why would a hedgehog be in our bonfire?"

"Because to a hedgehog, a big pile of leaves and sticks looks like the cosiest bedroom in the world," said Grandma. "In November they're looking for somewhere snug to sleep all winter."

So they put on their coats, and Grandma switched on her torch. Gently, gently, they lifted the branches at the bottom of the pile with a broom handle. No stabbing, no poking. Just lifting and looking.

Nothing under the first branch. Nothing under the second.

Then, under a heap of crunchy leaves, Alfie saw something round and brown and prickly. It snuffled. It had a tiny black nose.

"Grandma!" he whispered. "A hedgehog!"

The hedgehog curled up tight into a spiky ball.

"Well done," whispered Grandma. "We nearly lit his bedroom."

Grandma put on her thick gardening gloves and lifted the hedgehog very carefully, with plenty of leaves around him. They carried him to a quiet corner by the shed, far away from the bonfire, and tucked him into a cardboard box full of straw and dry leaves.

Alfie put a little dish of water beside the box. "Goodnight, Prickles," he said.

Then, back at the bonfire, Grandma struck a match. The fire whooshed and crackled and glowed orange. Sparks danced up into the dark. Alfie ate his sausage in a bun and watched the flames, warm all the way through.

But every now and then, he looked over at the quiet corner by the shed, where a small hedgehog was snoring safely in his new winter bed.

"Next year," said Alfie, "we'll build the bonfire on the day, so no hedgehogs move in."

"That," said Grandma, "is a very good idea."