Hetty the Hedgehog and the Mexican Jungle: Hetty the Hedgehog, #2

By Cheryl Lee-White

When her friends are loaded onto the wrong plane and end up in the Mexican jungle, it is down to Hetty to keep them safe.
Can she protect them from the dangers that are lurking ahead?

A fun and engaging action-adventure story for children 7-11 years old.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cheryl Lee-White
• Release date: Dec 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223697817

Book preview

Chapter 1

Press-ups

I want to see your noses touching the grass.

But Hetty, why do we have to do so many press-ups? Rocky moaned.

You don’t have to. Rocky’s eyes lit up. You can run five laps of the garden instead, she continued.

Rocky looked defeated. He didn’t even bother answering Hetty. Instead, he finished off his last five press-ups in silence.

Right, now it’s time for the obstacle course. I want to see you all jumping as high as you can over the jumps.

The group let out a collective sigh. They had been training for what felt like hours already.

Shadow spoke up. Hetty, why are you training us so hard today?

Because today is going to be our last training session for over a month. She paused as a thought then crossed her mind. Unless we do some training while we are on holiday.

Nooooo! was the collective reply. None of them wanted to be training while on holiday.

Okay, but you need to all put the effort in now, then.

The animals reluctantly agreed and Shadow, Rocky and Clara went to line up at the start of the obstacle race.

Hetty, these jumps are huge. I’m only small, how am I meant to jump over them? Clara asked worriedly.

Belief and training are how you’re going to be able to get over those jumps, Hetty answered. Just to prove a point, she walked up to the highest jump, bent her knees and then leapt into the air, clearing the jump with ease. While in the air, she curled into a ball and rolled safely back onto the ground.

She didn’t need to say another word as she had proved her point. When standing up, Hetty was the same height as Clara, and if she could make the jump, Clara could too. After all, Hetty was a hedgehog and Clara a spritely Chihuahua.

The animals put their heads down and remained silent during the rest of the training session. They knew Hetty wouldn’t take excuses; she wanted the best from them. Plus, they were also all too exhausted to speak.

Finally, when the training session was over, they all collapsed in a heap, lying still, trying to catch their breaths.

Well done today. You all did really well, Hetty said as she walked around their tired bodies. She had done the training with them but had barely broken a sweat. She looked at their tired faces and decided to finally let them rest, they deserved it.

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Shadow! Rocky! a voice called from the house.

Lewis is calling, we need to go, Rocky said, jumping up from the ground.

Clara! came another voice.

That’s me, it’s my time to go too. Can’t keep Mrs Dimby waiting. Turning to Hetty, she added, Are you all set for tomorrow?

Yes, Hetty replied.

How are you going to do it without being caught?

Don’t worry, I have a plan to sneak into the car with you all, replied Hetty.

And what about when we get to the airport? Shadow quizzed.

I will find a way to get through and be on that plane with you.

Please be careful, Hetty, we don’t want you getting lost, or worse – hurt.

Ahh, stop worrying, I will be fine, Hetty said, brushing off Shadow’s worries. It’s you lot I feel sorry for, as you will be put in cages for the flight.

The cage doesn’t bother me. All I ever knew was cages. First at the pet store and then when we got kidnapped. This is the only time in my life I have been free. I don’t mind going back into a cage for a bit. It’s only for a short time and then we will be on holiday. I have never been on a holiday. It is so exciting!

We can tell you’re excited, laughed Hetty.

Oh, sorry. Am I waffling again? I can’t help it. Clara started bouncing up and down with excitement, expelling away the tiredness. It is going to be so amazing. My first holiday with my new owner and my best friends. I can’t wait.

Clara! Mrs Dimby called from the house again.

Clara, barely able to contain her excitement, headed off to the house. I must go. See you all tomorrow.

Clara found Mrs Dimby and together they headed back to their home next door to get ready for their holiday.

Shadow! Rocky! Dinner time! Lewis called out again.

Rocky didn’t need to hear those words twice, he was off sprinting across the garden towards the house, the very thought of dinner pulling him in.

Hetty and Shadow began laughing at the sight of him once again ruled by his stomach.

I have to go now too. Make sure you’re careful tomorrow. I don’t want anything to happen to you.

Don’t worry, I will, Hetty said, as she turned and headed out to the nearby field to go foraging for her dinner.

Chapter 2

The Challenge

This is so boring, Hetty thought. She had been lying under Mr and Mrs Taylor’s car for ages. It was uncomfortable. The cold, lumpy gravel dug into her body. She tried to get comfortable, but every time she moved, it dug in more. How she longed for her comfortable bed, but she didn’t want to risk missing when everyone came out to the car. Deep down, she knew the adventure would be worth the wait, but right now, it was hard to think about as the cold seeped through her body.

She curled herself up to try to keep warm and keep her mind off the cold. She thought about how fun it would be going on an aeroplane for the first time. When Shadow and Rocky had first told her that their owners Mr and Mrs Taylor were taking them on a long holiday and Clara and Mrs Dimby were going too, she knew she had to find a way to go with them, even if it meant lying on the cold, dark, gravel floor waiting around for ages; a holiday with her friends sounded too good to miss. She was also secretly looking forward to the challenge of sneaking on holiday with them and not getting caught.

After a while, her eyes began to grow heavy, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

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Creak! Crunch, crunch!

Hetty was jolted awake. She heard the front door opening then footsteps crunching across the gravel drive towards her.

She peeked out from behind the wheel to see Mr Taylor heading towards her, carrying a suitcase and jacket. When he reached the car, he opened up the boot and threw them in before heading back to the house.

With Mr Taylor gone and the boot open, Hetty saw her opportunity and dashed out from underneath the car. Sensing that she didn’t have long before he returned, she quickly took a few steps back from the car. She then turned and started running, going as fast as her little legs could take her. When she was just a few steps away, she leapt into the air, reaching her legs out in front towards the bumper. Her toes touched the edge and she pushed off it, jumping higher into the air. As she reached the open boot, she threw her body weight forward and curled into a ball, rolling into it at speed, coming to a stop by Mr Taylor’s jacket.

Meow! Hetty heard Shadow’s warning as Mr Taylor was coming out of the house again. This time he was carrying a cage with Shadow inside. She had made sure to let out a loud meow to warn Hetty they were coming.

Hetty dived into the large side pocket of the coat to hide, making it under the safety of the cloth just as Mr Taylor reached the boot and put Shadow’s cage inside. He then headed straight back inside for Rocky.

Hetty, Hetty, are you there?

Yes, I’m here, inside Mr Taylor’s jacket. Thank you for warning me you were coming.

"That’s okay, I’m glad you