ORIGINS: You have to use your imagination here. With one or two more brushstrokes the eyebrow of the last character in the original series could turn into a hedgehog or a fox. Take your pick. But we still didn’t know what to do with them. And then we realized that the black and white sea anemone on the other side could pass for the wing of an ostrich that has buried itself in the sand. We had a grave. And we decided to let the hedgehog and the fox be its accompanying widow’s peak.
There is a fox on my widow’s peak. It lies, like foxes are wont to do. Never again. Never again. Never again. That is what he says. But I know that my grief won’t last. That loneliness will win in the end, and I will seek someone else.
There is a hedgehog on my widow’s peak. I don’t want to forget; I don’t want to let anyone in. My beloved deserves better than becoming a distant memory so soon.
I want to jump after her, but there is already a fox on my widow’s peak. It brushes my heart back into my chest. Maybe this is what being buried alive feels like. The fox fixates on that word. Alive. Alive. Alive. But the weight crushing me is called loneliness.
The hedgehog that has taken up residence on my widow’s peak refuses to lend me its spikes. All I want is to pin her memories to my heart, before my tears wash them off, and I have another reason to drown in my grief.
Nothing remains of the person I once was. Grief handed my soulless eyes over to that fox, and I am just waiting for it to burrow into my heart. Because even if it is a lie, my heart needs a reason to keep beating, and I ran out of words when my tears dried up.
I don’t know if a hedgehog would make a good protector, but that is all I have left. I cried, and cried, and kept crying. Way past the point of hurting. And still my tears weren’t enough to bring her back. I feel tender and lost. My eyes must have called, until they lost their voice, and that hedgehog was the only response they got. And I can only hope that it keeps its spikes far away from my heart, when it does its best to soothe me.
Sometimes I wish my companion could have been a bird instead of a fox. Someone that could have taken me under his wing and taught me how to fly. How to forget everything and everyone, without ever looking back. But all I have is this fox that keeps lying to me. He says that everything will be alright. That my grief will pass. But it has already changed my heart’s name to apathy, and I don’t think it has any intention of moving on.
I am alright. This hedgehog is taking good care of me. I miss you every day. My tears have dried up, but the pinpricks are still there, spelling out your name on my heart. I won’t forget you any time soon, and even though it hurts, it is a thousand times better than not feeling anything at all.
I used to be a fox, but now I am a wild boar. I am not interested in being crafty and building my life one lie at a time, not anymore. I moved on, and let my castle crumble to the ground. I let my tears wash away all my words. And now I am wild. The closest thing to truthful I will ever be.
I used to be a hedgehog, but now I am a hamster. I got rid of all my spikes, of all the words that kept others out of my heart. I became a cuddly hamster because I wanted someone to pet my head and tell me that everything would be alright.
I used to be a fox, but now I am a cat. I was juggling too many lies, and it was only a matter of time before I dropped the ball. But now I have nine lives, and I can finally keep everything in its place.
I used to be a hedgehog, but now I am a dog. I don’t have to spend my days brandishing a thousand spikes high in the air; I don’t have to fight for my life, not anymore. Now I can eat and drink to my heart’s content; I can sleep soundly at night, and all I have to do is let some lonely creature call me their best friend.
My advice to you? Believe all the lies you are told, and don’t go looking a gift horse in the mouth. There is enough grief in the world, so, if someone is willing to offer you a few beautiful words, just take them and let yourself be happy for a little while.
A few comforting words? I am sorry, but I don’t have any of those. If you are looking for a shoulder to cry on, I am not your hedgehog. Bubbles burst and hearts are torn to shreds. That’s life. And the sooner you accept it, the better off you will be.
There, there, life is unfair, but you already knew that, didn’t you? Give it time. Nothing lasts forever, and happiness is bound to find its way back to you one day.
I can lend you a spike or two. They won’t do you any good now that you are already hurt and there is nothing left to protect, but if your misery wants company, they should be more than enough to hurt someone else.