Through the Backyard Wormhole
Maya the hedgehog, with her quills as sharp as pencils and a nose for adventure, wasn't digging for treasure. No, Maya was on a mission for much tastier prey – earthworms. Her dinner bowl was always a disappointment, filled with bland, brown kibble, and tonight, Maya craved something more exciting.
As she tunnelled under the old oak tree, her nose twitched in confusion. The earthy scent was replaced by something sugary, like a thousand lollipops left in the sun. She pushed aside a clump of earth, and her heart skipped a beat. Before her swirled a shimmering portal, its edges a rainbow of colours. Curiosity thrummed through her tiny body.
Taking a deep breath, Maya poked a cautious paw into the swirling vortex. It tickled, then felt like a warm bubble bath. When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't in her familiar backyard anymore.
She stood on a path paved with pink rock candy, houses of gingerbread lining either side. Gummy rivers flowed merrily, and lollipop trees stretched towards a candy-floss sky. In the distance, a majestic unicorn pranced, its horn a glistening rainbow lollipop.
Suddenly, the unicorn stopped and spoke, its voice a chime of tinkling bells. "Welcome, traveler, to the Candy Kingdom! I am Liquorice, and you must be the one we've been waiting for."
Maya blinked, startled. A talking unicorn! But this was the Candy Kingdom, after all, where anything was possible. "The one you've been waiting for?" she squeaked.
Liquorice explained. Every hundred years, a brave soul was chosen to be their Champion, someone who would protect the Candy Kingdom from the dreaded Sour Patch Army, creatures made of liquorice and lemon drops who craved only to turn everything sour.
"But I'm just a hedgehog," Maya protested, her voice small. "And hedgehogs don't… well, they don't ride unicorns."
Liquorice chuckled, a sound like wind chimes. "Hedgehogs are the bravest creatures," he said, "and you, my friend, are just the right size." He dipped his head, and Maya, feeling a spark of courage, climbed onto his back.
Together, Maya and Liquorice became an unstoppable team. Maya's sharp quills could pop open even the toughest Sour Patch soldiers, while Liquorice, with his magical horn, could heal any injuries with a sprinkle of sugar crystals. They chased away the Sour Patch Army, bringing sweetness back to the Candy Kingdom.
When it was time for Maya to return home, Liquorice gifted her a tiny, rainbow-swirled lollipop. "A reminder of your adventures," he winked. Stepping back through the wormhole, Maya found herself back under the oak tree. The backyard looked ordinary now, but the taste of candy lingered on her tongue, and a newfound confidence pricked her quills.
From that day on, Maya wasn't just any hedgehog. She was Maya, the Candy Kingdom Champion, the bravest little hedgehog who ever rode a talking lollipop unicorn. And even though dinner remained the same old kibble, Maya knew the real taste of adventure – a taste sweeter than any candy.
The end.
