

Lila and Ben are playing with a big ball in the park. They like to bounce the ball and catch it. Sometimes they bounce the ball very high and it goes over the fence.
One day, they bounce the ball too hard and it flies over the fence and lands in a bush. They run to the fence and look for the ball. They see the ball in the bush, but they also see something else. It is a small animal with sharp spikes on its back. It is a hedgehog.
"Look, Ben, a hedgehog!" Lila says. "It is so cute!"
"Can we touch it?" Ben asks.
"I don't know," Lila says. "Maybe it will hurt us with its spikes."
They watch the hedgehog for a while. It does not move. It looks scared.
"Maybe it is lonely," Lila says. "Maybe it wants to play with us."
She reaches her hand over the fence and tries to grab the ball. The hedgehog sees her hand and curls up into a ball. It shows its spikes.
"Ow!" Lila says. She pulls back her hand. It has a small scratch. "It bit me!"
"It did not bite you," Ben says. "It poked you with its spikes. It is trying to protect itself."
He looks at the hedgehog and says in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, little hedgehog. We are not going to hurt you. We just want our ball back. Can you please move away from the ball?"
The hedgehog hears Ben's voice and uncurls a little. It sees that Ben and Lila are not mean. It waddles away from the ball and hides under a leaf.
"Thank you, little hedgehog," Ben says. He reaches his hand over the fence and takes the ball. He shows it to Lila. "See? It is not broken. We can still play with it."
Lila smiles and hugs Ben. She looks at the hedgehog and says, "Bye, little hedgehog. Maybe we will see you again."
They wave to the hedgehog and run back to the park. They bounce the ball and catch it. They are happy.
