The woodland school stood between the tall trees. Bramble clutched his acorn and tiptoed toward the door.
He held his acorn tight and tiptoed past the school door. His ears drooped low. A butterfly fluttered by and landed right on his nose.
Ah-CHOO! The sneeze shook his whole body. He froze, then peeked inside.
Inside, three little moles giggled over the same book. An owl read aloud in a voice that rumbled like distant thunder.
Bramble shrank behind the doorframe. His fingers tightened around the acorn until it dug into his paw.
Then he saw her — a small hedgehog sitting alone on a bench, shoulders hunched. She turned an empty hand over and over.
The floorboards creaked under his feet. He held out his acorn. The new hedgehog's eyes went wide, and she offered a shy smile.
The bell rang — clack, clack, clack! — and the class spilled into the wildflower garden for show-and-tell.
The new hedgehog hopped onto a stump. 'My acorn is a magical wish-stone!' she declared. 'It grants terrible jokes!'
'What do you call a sleepy porcupine?' she announced. The class erupted in laughter. Bramble laughed so hard his quills wiggled.
At lunch, Bramble and his friend sat side by side, sharing sandwiches and plotting which tree stump to claim. His acorn rested between them like a bridge.
Bramble didn't notice his ears perking up — not until the teacher called roll.
