In November, strange things happen in nature. The leaves turn different shades of color and then fall to the ground. And sometimes, if you’re very lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a tiny autumn elf hiding among them.
He’s almost impossible to spot because his clothes are just as colourful as the fallen leaves. His name is Leaf, and his job is to make sure all the little animals that sleep through the winter are ready for the long cold months ahead.
Take hedgehogs, for example. Before winter begins, they need to eat plenty of food, gain enough weight, and find a warm, safe place to sleep. Otherwise, winter can be very dangerous for them. Leaf knew that very well.
One day, he was strolling through the forest. He was hopping among the leaves, gathering a few as he went and thinking, “Wow, these would make a wonderful coat. So colorful.” Suddenly he saw a pile of dry leaves trembling. The pile was shaking like…a leaf.
“That’s strange. Leaves don’t shake by themselves. Something must be hiding underneath,” the elf thought.
He carefully walked over and knelt beside the pile. Listening closely, he heard a tiny voice whisper, “I-I’m c-cold,” came a voice from inside.
Leaf gently brushed the leaves aside and found a little hedgehog underneath. The poor thing was shivering from nose to toes, his tiny teeth chattering
“What’s the matter, little hedgehog?” asked Leaf the elf.
“I don’t know. I can’t get warm, and I can’t fall asleep. I should already be settling down for winter sleep by now. If I don’t, I won’t make it through this winter. It’s my first winter, and I don’t know what to do,” the little hedgehog replied, his voice shivering.
Leaf looked at the little hedgehog carefully. He wanted to help him. After all, helping woodland animals was exactly what an autumn elf was meant to do. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was wrong.
“Little hedgehog, you’re too thin. You haven’t stored enough fat for the winter, and your nest isn’t warm enough. But don’t worry. I’ll help you. We still have a few days before winter arrives to fix this,” said Leaf and he set to work. He began searching the forest for one last batch of treats for the young hedgehog. He brought them to him and made sure he ate everything nicely. He did this for several days. The hedgehog slowly grew stronger and put on weight. As soon as winter knocked on the door, Leaf the elf gathered some leaves, moss, and twigs and thoroughly covered the hedgehog’s little house. When the hedgehog curled up under the pile of gathered materials, he warmed up quickly and easily and fell asleep.
Leaf the elf was very happy that he could help someone again. Even before winter arrived, he would go check on the little hedgehog to see if he was sleeping and if he was warm. And he was already looking forward to when autumn would come again next year and he could visit his friend. But by then, he wouldn’t be a little hedgehog anymore—he’d be a big, strong hedgehog.
