After a long sleep, and a yummy lunch at Loki’s house, Pudgy thanked Loki for helping him. Goodbyes were said, and a hug or two occurred, before the hedgehog returned home using his gemstone’s teleportation powers. Loki resumed have a quiet, critter free house, and a sense of calm filled the room. As the man returned to his kitchen, he started to wash the dishes. This allowed time to reflect on the events of the previous day, and the implications for the future.
Little did the hedgehog, or his friends know, a plan was landing on the John F Kennedy international airport in New York city. As the airplane taxied to the gate, Elias stirred from a twilight sleep that he had drifted in and out of. The weather over the Atlantic was at first around England but smoothed out allowing him to get some fleeting rest. With the cabin lights on, and an announcement in English being spoken, “Welcome to New York City.”
Gathering his belongings within the laptop bag, he stood up, and started to exit the plane. The flight attendants were thanking people as they departed and smiled when he walked past. Following the overhead signs, he navigated to the customs gate for international arrivals. Patiently he stood in line, pondering as to what lay before him within the airport. His superiors had arranged flights from Berlin to London, and then on to New York city in the United States.
As he approached the customs desk, a gruff looking elderly man wearing a gray uniform of some sort was barking orders. “NEXT!” Elias approached, and handed his tickets, passport, and bag over to the man. The official barely looked at him, and then entered information into an ancient looking terminal. The plastic had yellowed, and a large IBM logo was etched into the side of the terminal. There was an integrated keyboard, and what appeared to be a CRT screen with green lettering. “reason for entry to the United States?” The official looked at Elias with a questioning glare. The man nodded, “work, I am antique dealer.”
After a few agonizingly slow moments passed, the official nodded, “everything checks out.” He handed back the objects after they had been searched, and Elias nodded. “Danke.” Turning, the exasperated man walked through a series of metal detectors, to reach the main concourse of the airport. Back home, the airports were modern marvels of technology, but here they were still using stable but ancient technology. Muttering to himself, he started to head towards what resembled a food court, with a series of shops.
As Elias walked past the various domestic chain restaurants, he located a smaller independent shop, with a sign that said COFFEE in blue neon. Entering the establishment. It was quiet from the cacophony of noises from the concourse and its throngs of travelers. There was a smiling woman with long black hair working a espresso machine, “what can I get you hon?” Elias smiled, and after a quick study of the menu, “large coffee, with a shot of hazelnut espresso.” The woman nodded and began making the drink. A deep baritone voice spoke from behind him, that put the fear into his heart. “Always getting the hazelnut?”
The nondescript antique dealer turned around slowly and looked straight into a black suit coat with white pin stripes. “Guten Tag, Zerstorer,” Elias said as he looked up to a younger man’s face covered with a black neatly trimmed beard and haircut. Piercing blue eyes met his, “Elias, we are with the yanks now, we should speak English.” The much smaller man nodded and turned around to face the shop keeper. Zerstorer is roughly translated as destroyer, and if the Kaiser had sent him to New York City to rendezvous with him, this did not bode well. Producing his credit card from his suit coat pocket, he paid for his transaction, and then accepted the hot coffee in it cardboard clad paper cup.
Stepping aside, his close to seven-foot-tall muscular counterpart stepped up to the counter. The shop keeper looked up, trying to maintain her smile. “I would like a large cappuccino, whatever that is?” Elias turned to the man, “Hans, am I to understand there is a reason for our meeting?” The giant man looked down and smiled, “Ja.” After some quiet moments for the order to be produced, and paid for, Hans tapped Elias on his shoulder with a huge hand, grasping hard on his collarbone. “Let us find a quiet spot to converse.” Walking out back into the concourse, the two men walked over to a section of wide red pleather couches. Hans released his grasp on his counterpart, signaling it was time to sit. As the two sat beside one another, they looked out at the throngs of passing travelers. Hans sipped his coffee slowly, waiting for Elias to speak. “Edgar has been dispatched.”
The smaller man choked on his coffee, “Was it necessary?” The muscular man nodded and sipped his drink. “My word this is sweet…. yes…. the Kaiser ordered it. I dealt with the matter, in the in accordance with his wishes.” Hans turned, to see his counterpart frowning. “It was painless, I assure you. And now, the two of us have arrived within this city’s airport. Coincidence, do you think?” Elias shook his head, “No, my tickets brought me here. What are our orders?” The large man grinned, with a smile that was unsettling. He opened his suit coat and produced a ticket. Handing it over, the smaller man accepted, and read it out loud. “Dallas, Texas? So, we are actually going to bring it up?” Both men took sips of their drinks, and Hans chuckled.
“It has been down there for almost a hundred years. While I do not question our master’s orders, I must wonder myself, why now? What has changed?” Elias chuckled, “I have read reports, that in England there was a talking hedgehog. I have been perusing the various internet portals, and he seems to have a series of regular adventures.” Hans blinked, “sure you jest? Wait, you are serious? We have been mobilized due to a hedgehog?” The smaller man shook his head, “and the Goddess’s daughter, has been seen as well.” Hans face drained with color, and his eyes started to glow golden. “Then it is close to the time our master has spoken of.” Elias nodded, “Ascension is upon us, it would appear.”
The two German men sat quietly, sipping their drinks. It was an uncomfortable silence, despite the myriad of crowd noises that surrounded them from the travelers. Elias finished his drink and stood up. “Be careful Hans …” The muscular man watched his counterpart walk off with a wave, carrying his laptop bag. Opening his suit coat once more, he located his ticket. “Saint…. Louis…. Missouri.” He had time to enjoy his drink, and then head to his gate. A hedgehog was the cause of all of this, that thought was a source of amusement. He could crush it with one hand and end this all for his master. But the fact it could talk, meant it was no ordinary animal.
Far away from the events in the city, Pudgy had returned to Pennsylvania. He scampered to Cobalt’s house and entered through the small hedgehog sized door in the basement. The hedgehog found his human friend sitting on his couch, sipping a coffee. There were many hugs that soon followed, and then an exited tale of everything that happened in Branson. Cookies were served, and Cobalt asked many questions. As the man reviewed the notes, he held onto his hedgehog friend gently hugging. There was a quiet that filled the room, and Pudgy was looking up at his friend.
“Pudgy, I did expect that this trip would lead somewhere else. I did not realize that this mystery was as big as this.” He gently patted the critter’s head and ran his fingers along the soft quills that lined his back. Pudgy relaxed and settled in on his lap. “So, the solider is partially at rest now, which is good. But he wants you to find a submarine now? I am unsure if it still exists. I cannot call up the Navy and ask where they keep their WW! submarines? This will require research, to say the very least. Plus, your gemstone needs time to rest, so I think the best course of action is to stay home, at least for now.”
The hedgehog nodded, and looked up, “can Pudgy stay in the air conditioning for a bit longer?” The man smiled and nodded. “Yes, you may certainly do so, my friend. I do need to get back to work though.” The man smiled, and hugged him for a time, before setting him down on his couch. Turning the television off, Cobalt stood up and walked towards his stairs adjacent to the living room. Pudgy watched his friend disappear, though he could hear movement from the upstairs. The house cracked and creaked as the man settled into his office chair.
Cobalt had negotiated with his company to work from home a couple of months ago. So now with a myriad of extra equipment from work, he was logged on and able to work on his daily and week’s tasks. He would check on Pudgy later and added to the official hedgehog check list. The hours passed, and not realizing it, the workday was over. As he turned off the various pieces of additional computer equipment, he turned on his personal laptop. After the familiar windows logo passed, a picture appeared with sections of rocket stages laid out in front of Pudgy’s cabin. The hedgehog was sitting on top of his house, waving.
That picture always brought a smile to the man’s lips, and pleasant memories. Thoughts drifted to the source of the equipment, and fleeting memories of the underground ruler visiting. Neither Cobalt, nor Pudgy had heard from him in months. The relationship had changed, when Pudgy lost his access to the underground kingdom. Perhaps this was all for the best though, as they were doing fine on their own now. The network of friends Pudgy had developed could assist him if need be.
Cobalt began to check the various historical websites, and located a section on a naval warfare site, about B Class submarines, and sure enough as he was scrolling through the pictures, there was a picture of the Tarantula submarine. There was a crew of 8 men that could be squeezed into the 25-foot-long x 4 feet wide submarine. There was a combination gasoline and electric engine system, which was revolutionary during the time it was in service. The submarine was originally built 1907, and as the man continues to research, he found a picture of the submarine in New York harbor. Sure enough, there was a picture of the gunnery Sergeant saluting.
Cobalt felt movement underneath him and saw Pudgy was climbing up his leg. Laughing, he gently scooped up the hedgehog, and then set him on the desk. The critter pointed, “it’s the solider!” Cobalt nodded, “the picture was taken 1917, so it would have been when the crew was sent to Europe. The website is saying that the submarine returned after the war ended, and then was sent to New Jersey. From there it was taken by train to…” The man trailed off as he was scrolling down the page, reading the naval history. The hedgehog bounced and loved looking at the pictures.
“Ok, looks like after a long train trip, the submarine was taken to Dallas, Texas. It was decommissioned, and then disassembled. The ordinance, and weaponry was taken to the naval port in Galveston.” Pudgy bounced, “Samantha Jo lives in Galveston! Pudgy can go,” he excitedly said until Cobalt tapped him on the nose. The man smiled, “that’s where the ordinance went, but looks like the submarine went somewhere else….to Boone Township, just south east of Dallas.” The man navigated to a map program and entered the address into the search box.
The city appeared underneath a large blue lake on the map. Pudgy frowned, “why is a lake over the town?” Cobalt checked another website, and nodded, “ahh …I see. It looks like around 1940, there was a big dam built on the Trinity river. It caused a huge lake to form over time, and the town was flooded. This is just like Yellow Creek state park Pudgy, do you remember?” The hedgehog bounced, “yes, and Cobalt took Pudgy on the pontoon boat. You didn’t catch a fish, but the cookies were good.” The man nodded, “one of these days, we should go back to stop at that hoagie place, though I wonder if it is still around? The owner was in his 80’s when we stopped by.” Pudgy nodded, and pointed, “Look the map says that Gun Barrel City is nearby where the town was.”
The man nodded, and gently patted his friend’s head. “Yes, it is, though that is a relatively new place from what the history says. Still, it is a good start. Pudgy, we do not know anyone there. If you head there, you will be on your own.” The hedgehog bounced, “Pudgy will be ok. But how is Pudgy going to get under the water?” The man nodded, “Well, I kept all of the blueprints for your space trip. I can make you a space suit, and rebreather. I am going to need time to get the materials, at least 2 weeks.” The critter frowned, and started to wiggle, the way he did when he desperately wanted to go. The man scooped him up and hugged him gently again.
The hedgehog started to calm down, and Cobalt spoke softly. “No one is in danger; the ghost is mostly at peace now. We will finish this, but there is no rush. How about we go get dinner now?” The critter nodded and held onto his friend as he got up out of the chair. Heading downstairs, Cobalt laughed when he found Argente in the kitchen looking up at him. Somehow, she was able to squeeze through the Pudgy sized door in the basement. She started bouncing happily when she saw Pudgy. As the man set down the critter, he patted Argente’s head and then headed over to the refrigerator.
Cobalt got out leftover meatloaf from the official blue plastic container. Cutting off a hunk, he started to make a sandwich, with a thick spread of mayonnaise on each slice of bread. He also cut pieces for Pudgy and Argente and placed them on little plates with a couple cut up potatoes. Placing them in the microwave, he watched as Pudgy was scampering with Argente around his feet. “Ok you two, go get on the couch, I’ll bring in your dinners” The critters wandered off into the living room, and as the microwave went ding, he opened it, and took out the two plates of food. The man headed inside and set the two plates down in front of the hedgehog and fox.
The man went back to the kitchen, retrieved his plate, and then returned to the couch. As he sat down, he turned on the television. YouTube fired up, and soon a program with some guy in a golden helmet auto played. As the trio of friends munched away, the passionate man yelled and swore about some woman trying to destroy Star Wars. The fox looked at Cobalt, “Can we watch something else?” The man nodded and navigating the menus to turn a news broadcast on. The big red and white BBC logo appeared, and a beautiful British woman with long brown hair appeared with a microphone.
“I am standing here today in front of Warwick castle, located beside the picturesque Avon river. Weeks ago, an unexplained RAF training accident resulted in a series of events at this castle.” Cobalt winked at Pudgy, “Gee I wonder what the reporter means?” The reporter talked over a series of still shots, and recorded video feeds. “Visitors to the castle that day, state that a hedgehog was battling ghosts. The reports of the hedgehog nor the ghosts can not be substantiated. However, a man was detained by the RAF. Edgar Tryon, was taken into custody at the time of the events for unlawful trespass.” Pudgy pointed, “that’s the man, he turned into a monster! He summoned the German troops.”
The reporter’s voice continued, as a live shot was being shown of the local morgue. “Edgar Tryon was found dead within his containment cell within the local jail. His neck and all bones were broken systematically. Additionally, several guards were attacked. Wild reports of black shadowy masses, with floating orange orbs within are abounding within the area. The BBC remains committed to bringing you the events of the day and will stick with this story until we can bring you more information.” Cobalt looked at Pudgy, and the hedgehog looked back. Argente looked at them, “what?” The hedgehog after finishing his meal, started to explain what had happened in Branson. This of course made Argente terribly upset, but she silently listened until the story was done.
The trio remained quiet after the video feed stopped, and the story was done. Cobalt continued to eat his sandwich and listen to the two critters beside him. Argente, immediately held onto Pudgy. “This is why you should not go. There are monsters now, and they know about you. Even the lady on the box knows about you.” The man nodded, swallowing before speaking, “Pudgy this is bad. When you used the stone, did anything happen?” The critter nodded, “Pudgy saw the shadow again, and it spoke to Pudgy.” The man nodded, “I am unsure how this stone works, but it seems that it attracts attention. We need to be incredibly careful now. Not just the shadowy forces, but with normal activities. You are now known by the Army Corp of Engineers, the US Coast Guard, as well as many friends scattered throughout the world.”
The hedgehog nodded, “Pudgy will be careful, Pudgy promise.” The critter looked at his friends, and then hugged Argente again. The female fox hugged back and looked at Cobalt. “Cobalt, please tell me this is over?” The man frowned, “with some research, I believe we have a lead on the submarine. It is most likely at the bottom of a lake in Texas.” Argente’s brown eyes were burning brightly, “and then what, Pudgy will drown!” The hedgehog tugged at her furry leg gently. “Cobalt is going to make Pudgy space suit, Pudgy will breathe under water.” The fox looked confused, which led to a quick version of Pudgy’s adventure to the moon. This resulted in a confused fox, who immediately held onto Pudgy protectively.
“For now, Argente, we will continue to research and plan. Pudgy is not leaving yet, which is also a result of the stone needing time to recharge. Argente growled, “No, give me that stone, I am going to hide it!” She immediately pawed at Pudgy’s chest. The hedgehog scurried back and ran to get his pack and helmet which was nearby. The man tried to reach across the couch, “wait Argente!” The stone started to glow bright white, and with a blinding flash, the hedgehog was gone. The fox stood there looking confused, and the man cursed at her. “DARN IT ARGENTE!” The fox never heard him raise his voice and turned to see the human was not pleased with her.
“What happened,” the confused fox said timidly. The man reached down and picked up the wiggling fox into his arms. “Argente, that stone is linked to Pudgy somehow. If anyone tries to take it from him, it teleports him away. The same thing happened when Purple lady tried to touch it. I was hoping to keep our hedgehog friend here for a few weeks, while I waited to order supplies. I could have blamed the post office for shipping delays and keep Pudgy here. But you had to screw up the plan,” the exasperated man said. The fox’s expression changed immediately, as she realized what she had done. She started to cry, “I’m sorry, I messed up Cobalt.”
As the light faded away, Pudgy could see Argente and Cobalt moving away from him at a great speed. He was teleporting once more. Touching the stone, “Mister stone, Pudgy know you’re tired. Can you please get Pudgy to Gun Barrel City in Texas? The stone blinked and vibrated, with Pudgy settling in for the long flight ahead. The colors that surrounded him were a myriad series of shades of blue and purple. The grounds sped quickly below him, with the hedgehog in amazement at how quickly the lands below him changed.
“Travelling again, I see……” The dark ominous voice called out from all around the hedgehog’s body. Pudgy looked around but could not see the shadow. “Pudgy need to help mister Ghost, leave Pudgy alone.” The hedgehog cried out, as he looked around trying to find the source of the ominous tones. The dark voice laughed in a blood curdling guttural tone, “We will meet soon, Pudgy Hedgehog. But, if I may ask, where your friend the Goddess?” Pudgy looked around, seeing a faint irregularity floating beside him. Was that where the voice was coming from? Pudgy rubbed his eyes with his paws, “Pudgy does not know a Goddess.” The voice snapped back at him, “come now, Pudgy. I have seen her with you.” An image of Hecate’s daughter appeared in front of the hedgehog. “That’s not the Goddess,” Pudgy stammered as the sense of fear grew in him. The voice snapped once more, “WHERE IS SHE?!?” Pudgy started to whimper, “Pudgy don’t know! She comes and goes when she pleases, or when her mother asks her to.”
The voice grew quiet, and the shimmering irregularity disappeared. The critter was shaken to his core and shook uncontrollably. As the Mississippi river flew underneath him for a time, before veering off towards the south, he continued to fly towards the south and west. The hedgehog began to recover and wonder just exactly why the voice was so interested in his friend. It was as Pudgy had said, she came and went as she pleased. But her words in Warwick filled his mind, she had mentioned doors were opened. Was that what she meant? When he reunited the stones, did he let the shadow monster out? If that were the case, he would need to undo that which he had wrought.
In the distance, he could see the lake approaching. In a blinding flash, the hedgehog landed roughly onto the ground. Dazed, he lay on the ground feeling his paws tingle. Several moments passed, with the sounds of chirping birds in the distance. The sun shone brightly over the state of Texas, and Pudgy could feel he was being roasted by the unending sun. Sitting up weakly, he rolled onto his rear end, and looked around. The lake was in front of him and extended as far as the eye could see in either direction. Pudgy checked his backpack and slung it over his back. Placing his mining helmet on, he started to scamper through the tall grass that lined the shore of the lake.
Hours passed, and at hedgehog speed, Pudgy had not travelled far. But he was further away than where he had started, so progress was being made. In the distance, he could just barely see a house. He would head to the house and ask the people there if he could contact Cobalt. Unlike when he had his steam ship, Pudgy when travelling by foot, could not bring the cell phone. Cobalt was smart, but he was not yet able to make a hedgehog sized cell phone. One good thing was, that the sun was setting quickly, and when the angle changed, the area began to cool off. He continued to travel, until the sun went completely down.
Realizing he needed a place to sleep for the night, Pudgy found a large tree that was by the shoreline. There was a knot at the base and was just big enough for a hedgehog to wiggle inside. Scampering around the base of the tree, the critter gathered sticks and other flammable things from the ground and arranged them to build a fire. Night quickly came, and while it was warm out, Pudgy needed a fire in case of a larger critter wandering by. Using his helmet’s striker, he lit the kindling, and in a matter of time, had made a small hedgehog sized fire. The flames danced on the wood sticks, and crackled. Pudgy’s pack, while it did contain some dry food stuffs, did not have supplies for an extended journey.
The stars shone clearly in the night skies above, and Pudgy could see the big dipper. Soon his eyes became heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. Thankfully, there was no rain, and no reason to wake. The hedgehog was able to sleep through the entire night. In the morning, he stirred, and noticed the fire had died out. After checking the coals were completely out, he slung his pack back on. Helmet on top of his little head, and soon he was travelling once more through the dew-covered tall grass. The lake water lapped onto the shoreline, making splashing noises. His journey continued, towards the house, which was growing large and more easily seen.
It was a ranch house, with dark brown brick. There were white shutters that framed windows, that had these cross bars inside. They looked like Cobalt’s windows, except were diagonal. There were lots of big mature trees all around the house. As the critter approached, he could hear a dog barking loudly. Soon an excited brown dog appeared and sniffed at Pudgy’s location. The hedgehog waved, “Hello Mister Dog.” The dog barked a couple of times, and then nodded. “Hello, Gopher!” Pudgy laughed and bounced, “Pudgy is hedgehog. But that is ok, who lives at the big house over there?” The dog barked a couple of times, with his tail wagging. “I do, and my owners. They are nice, want to come visit?” The critter nodded, “Yes, please! Pudgy is from Pennsylvania, which is extremely far away. Need to call friend.”
The dog bent down, and let Pudgy climb on top of him, and then took off at a fast pace. The hedgehog clung on, and soon in minutes, he had arrived at the big house. White stone lined around the trees and the house, with lots of neat flowering plants. As the dog slowed, he wiggled and flung off Pudgy, before running off in the opposite direction. As the critter regained his balance, and stood back up, he could see a black and white cat looking at him from one of the windows. Pudgy waved, and the cat waved back, before disappearing from the window. He watched as the curtains were fluffed and fell back into place.
Maneuvering around the house, Pudgy could see a big trampoline in the back yard. That looked like fun, and he pondered bouncing on it, but decided against it, as he would need to ask permission first. However, he could see a tanned man bouncing on it, with brown hair flapping in the wind. He was bouncing quite high and was trying to do a backflip. The hedgehog continued to scamper closer, through the manicured green grass that surrounded the house. He could see a woman sitting on the porch, sipping an iced tea. “Oh, almost got it that time Pope!”
Approaching cautiously, Pudgy made sure to cross in front of her, so the woman could see him. Turning, he looked up at her, and she was dressed in a pair of jean shorts, and an Eggo waffle yellow t-shirt. Her brown eyes locked onto him and stared in disbelief at him. Pudgy sat down a bit of a distance away from her bare feet and waved at her. “Hello, my name is Pudgy. Mister Dog said you were nice and could help Pudgy.” The woman blinked, with her mouth agape. “Did you just talk? Wait … did you say … Pudgy? POPE GET OVER HERE NOW!” The woman started to shout, and the hedgehog turned to watch him fall off the trampoline and into a pool that was beside it. He burst out of the water and ran over soaking wet. “What is it?!?!?”
The man raced up to the covered porch, to see his wife sitting there, pointing at the ground. There was a hedgehog sitting in front of her feet, wearing a backpack and mining helmet. Blinking, he realized just exactly what this meant. He thought it had been a twitter joke. The hedgehog going on adventures, but he was here now. Pudgy waved at the man, “Hello, my name is Pudgy.” His wife was now smiling ear to ear, with her husband making a small wave with his left hand. “Um, Hello … Pudgy. I am Pope of the Waffles. This is my wife, welcome to Texas.” The hedgehog bounced happily, he turned and waved at the now smiling woman. “Pudgy know you two, you are always very nice to Pudgy on twitter.”
The hedgehog scampered over and started to hug the woman’s ankle, and wiggle happily. Her husband smiled, and sat down in the chair to her side, watching the hedgehog look up at them from the ground. Mrs. waffles giggled, “Yes Pudgy, welcome to our home! We were hoping to eventually get a Pudgy Hedgehog visit. Pope thought you didn’t exist, but I always held out hope.” Her husband shot her a look, “now wait just a second wife…. I never said he didn’t exist.” The woman smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. The man laughed and smiled in return. When she looked back down, the hedgehog was covering his eyes. “Pudgy, why are you eyes covered?”
“Cobalt tell Pudgy to cover eyes at kissy part of movie.” The hedgehog replied matter of fatly, which drew a chorus of laughter from the husband and wife. Once they had recovered, Mrs. Waffles, bent down, and gently scooped up Pudgy into her hands. As she sat him down on her lap, she continued to smile. “We’re glad you are here, but why now Pudgy?” The hedgehog nodded and started to tell his grand tale of everything that had happened. The two humans sat listening, dumbfounded at the myriad of adventures the little critter had had.
Upon finishing his story, Pudgy nodded and wiggled on her lap. Pope rubbed his chin, “Well Pudgy, you are in luck. We can help you with your search. There have been tales of a hidden treasure in this lake for decades. People have searched for it, but no one has ever found it. A hidden submarine would definitely match the description of treasure. But what makes you so sure it is here?” Pudgy looked up at Mrs./ Waffles, “Cobalt researched, and the submarine was sent to a place called Boone Township, which was flooded when the lake was formed.” The woman nodded, “Pudgy, that is about a mile out in that direction.” She raised her arm and pointed towards the lake, which was not far from their house.
She looked down, and watched the hedgehog cover his eyes and then turn around. He uncovered his eyes to see where the woman was pointing. She started to giggle wildly behind him, “Pudgy, what was it this time?” The hedgehog nodded, “your lumpies were wiggling. Cobalt said, never look there.” Pope started to cough due to his choking, “that’s right Pudgy, listen to Cobalt. I will inspect the lumpies later to ensure they no longer wiggle.” The woman looked down, realized what the two were talking about, and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you two, stop it!” The hedgehog turned to Mr. Waffles, and raised his paw.
“Mister Waffles, can Pudgy call Cobalt? He will be worried,” the hedgehog trailed off. The woman had already got out her cell phone and was messaging Cobalt. They were friends online, and soon a series of chat messages were ensuing. “I am telling Cobalt you are here, and safe Pudgy. You will be staying with us, while we help you with your adventure.” Pudgy looked up at the husband and wife, and waved, “Thank you for helping Pudgy!” The woman’s eyes went wide, “Pope…. Cobalt wants our address to mail something?” Pudgy bounced, “Pudgy space suit, so Pudgy can go underwater.” The man blinked, “Pudgy, you went into space?” The critter nodded, “yes, had to save world from Cthulhu, and save the moon dinosaurs.”
Pope nodded, “hold off for now, Mrs. Waffles. We will need to eat supper first, and then Pudgy will entertain us with the whole story from the beginning, not just the ghost solider part.” His wife nodded, and messaged back, and delayed the part with the address. Pope stood up and scooped up Pudgy from his wife’s lap. The woman stood up, and the two humans entered their home through a brown sliding glass door. This was one of those open concept kitchens, so there were few walls around. Pudgy was set down gently onto the large golden oak dining room table. Pudgy started to tell his tale, starting with the trip underground. It was going to take a while, but the Waffles wanted to hear everything.
Dinner was made, and despite small gaps to eat the wonderful meal they had made, Pudgy continued to tell his tales. The two humans sat and listened intently and stared in disbelief. The hedgehog had gone to the center of the earth, then to the North Pole, then to the Moon, then to Georgia on a civil war adventure, then to New Orleans, then on a revolutionary war adventure, and now a world war one mystery. All his adventures were leading up to this point, which led to their property. It was also a lot of fun to listen to. Mister waffles noticed Pudgy was starting to tire and touched his wife’s shoulder. “I think we wore out Pudgy, so it is time for bed.” The woman smiled and watched as the hedgehog curled up on their table, and soon had fallen asleep. The husband and wife smiled and winked at each other. They had complained about being bored the day before, and now they were soon to embark on an adventure. Could this day get any better?
Pudgy's Adventures 