Love fairy tale: Rose and hedgehog
Once upon a time, a bird stole some flower seeds from a gardener and flew away, carrying a few more seeds in its beak. As it flew to a corner of a garden, it was captivated by the beautiful flowers that filled the garden and decided to stop. “Ah!” the bird was about to exclaim in admiration when one of the seeds slipped from its beak. Frightened, the bird quickly flew away, leaving the seed behind. The seed fell along the edge of the wall and landed in the garden. But it was the garden’s corner, a place rarely noticed. The seed had to grow there quietly.
She absorbed the dew and sunlight diligently, hoping to grow into a beautiful flower like the others in the garden. She wished to catch the gardener’s attention and receive his love. No matter how difficult it was, she was determined to bloom into a beautiful flower. That was her wish. As countless days and nights passed, with the sun and moon rising and setting, she quietly absorbed sunlight during the day and sang softly at night while being nourished by the dew.
Finally, one day, her wish came true—she bloomed into a flower. However, she was not happy. She was in the corner, unnoticed and alone, with no one to talk to. Every night, she sang sad songs in the corner of the garden. “Maybe my flower isn’t beautiful, which is why no one notices me,” she thought to herself, silently shedding tears. Flowers are fragile creatures. Perhaps a life exists in this world to meet another life.
One night, a hedgehog accidentally wandered into the garden. To avoid being chased by the gardener, he ran desperately to the most unnoticed spot, where he finally managed to hide. It was there that he discovered a delicate flower, singing a sorrowful song that stirred ripples in his heart. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before,” the flower was startled by his sudden appearance. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you. My name is Hedgehog, what’s yours?” he said with a smile. “I don’t know.
No one has ever noticed me or spoken to me, so I don’t even know who I am,” she replied sadly, lowering her head. “I’ve seen flowers like you before, called Roses, but you’re the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Can I call you Rose?” “Rose? Yes, thank you, Hedgehog,” she smiled for the first time in her life. That slight smile left Hedgehog in awe, and from that moment on, he fell in love with Rose.
That night, Rose sang a beautiful song for Hedgehog. Hedgehog told Rose many interesting stories about the outside world, making Rose laugh so hard that she trembled with joy. Hedgehog loved watching Rose laugh, and Rose had never been so happy before. As dawn approached, Hedgehog reluctantly had to leave.
“Are you leaving?” Rose asked with a hint of sadness.
“Yes, but don’t worry. I’ll come back to see you tonight, okay?”
“Okay, it’s so nice to have met you,” Rose said, her beautiful smile blooming again. Hedgehog was once again stunned, unable to resist the urge to kiss Rose’s cheek. But before he could get close, “Ouch, that hurts!” His quills had already pricked Rose. He suddenly remembered that he was a hedgehog. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I won’t get close to you again. Please forgive me.” “It’s okay,” Rose didn’t realize that she had also pricked Hedgehog, though Hedgehog kept the pain to himself.
They were the same species but not a pair. From then on, every night when the moon rose, Hedgehog would come to see Rose. They spent joyful moments together, talking and laughing. But Hedgehog had a knot in his heart—he couldn’t get close to Rose, only watch her from a distance.
One night, Hedgehog found Rose with a faint sadness on her face. “What’s wrong?” Hedgehog asked, concerned. He loved Rose deeply and didn’t want to see her sad. “I’ve been trying so hard to grow so that the gardener would notice me, but I’m in a corner…” Rose cried, lowering her head. Hedgehog wanted to comfort her by holding her, but… “Don’t cry. You won’t be beautiful if you cry. Let me help you!” Hedgehog had an idea. “Wait for me.” He ran out, intentionally scurrying around in front of the gardener, risking being chased to lead him to Rose.
“Huh? I didn’t plant any roses in my garden. How did such a beautiful one grow here? How did I never notice?” The gardener was pleasantly surprised by Rose. Rose was finally noticed, and she was happy, grateful to Hedgehog. Hedgehog, hiding nearby, was also secretly happy for Rose. But then the gardener said, “Tomorrow, I’ll pick this rose and give it to the one I love most. She’ll be so happy to receive it.” Afterward, the gardener left, leaving behind a sad Rose and Hedgehog. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to harm you,” Hedgehog came out, feeling sad too. “It’s not your fault. Maybe this is my fate. But I’m going to die soon, and I won’t be able to see you again…” Rose wept bitterly. “Rose, don’t cry. You look most beautiful when you smile,” Hedgehog wanted to hold Rose. “Ouch…” Rose was pricked again. “I’m sorry…” At that moment, facing their final farewell, Hedgehog felt an immense sorrow. If he could exchange his life for Rose’s, he would do it without hesitation. But who would use a hedgehog, a symbol of love, to give as a gift?
“Hedgehog, could you hold me?” Rose asked, her voice filled with tears. “But I’ll hurt you.” “It’s okay. I’m not afraid of pain. Tomorrow…” Hedgehog gently held Rose, feeling her trembling. He knew she was in pain because he felt it too, so he let go of her. They loved each other, yet they hurt each other. To avoid hurting Rose anymore, Hedgehog made a decision. He began to pluck his quills one by one, enduring excruciating pain. Each quill he removed caused red liquid to ooze out.
“Hedgehog, don’t do this! You’ll die!” Rose cried out, tears streaming down her face, helpless to stop him. “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt!” Hedgehog smiled at Rose even at that moment. Hedgehog pulled out the last quill, his body riddled with wounds, and staggered toward Rose. “Rose, I can finally hold you without hurting you. I’m so happy.” Hedgehog was truly happy. He embraced Rose, letting her thorns pierce his wounds. Rose’s tears fell on Hedgehog, seeping into his skin, merging with his blood, and flowing into his heart. “Rose, I love you!” Hedgehog confessed in a weak voice, “But I can’t protect you or make you happy.” “Hedgehog, I love you too!” Rose had shed all her tears. Hearing her words, Hedgehog contentedly collapsed to the ground.
The next morning, the gardener returned to Rose’s spot and found a hedgehog without quills lying beside her. It had no warmth or breath left. The rose had withered, her petals scattered on the ground, a few covering Hedgehog’s body.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
