Electricity wires are down, rainbow colours fade into brown
I dreamt your smile was shifting for good
Courageous boy, now you are gone
And run faster, yet have no place to go
Your spirit still burns, and so life goes on
- Jónsi, Boy Lilikoi
The day was just like any other day. Nothing special seemed to happen, and the natural cycle of Langston Lickatoad chasing after renegade piñatas Fergy Fudgehog and Paulie Pretztail was in full swing once more. The two hid behind a bush, panting, hoping that they had lost their pursuer.
"You can't run forever! There's a party you two need to go to!"
The persevering frog stood up on his tiptoes and looked around the area to spot his 'victims'. But he could not see them, for they were hidden exceptionally well this time.
Wait – he saw something. It was multi-coloured and stuck out like a sore thumb between the natural greens, like a piñata hiding in a bush. Because that was exactly what it was.
"A-HA! Gotcha!" Langston whooped triumphantly, throwing his net over the odd-coloured hump. It initiated a yelp from the Fudgehog, who then began running in circles in an attempt to shake the pursuer off. His friend Paulie could have helped, and he would've done so, as he always did – but for some reason he didn't. He just stood there, snickering. Almost sadistically, at his friend's misfortune.
"What are you laughing at?!" Fergy called angrily. "Can't you see he's caught me?"
"'Course I can see that, Fergs," Paulie said, amused by the quirky display of the tiny frog wrangling the much-larger hedgehog.
It took a while, but eventually Fergy managed to shake Langston off, and the little papery amphibian was sent flying over the trees. A particularly chuffed Fergy stumbled back to his friend.
"What was that for? Why didn't you help me?"
"You know that when Langston's got you, you're on your own, do you? Sheesh…"
The Fudgehog was seething. He had never seen his friend act like this before! He bounced up and down on his little legs furiously. "You just made that up! Paulie! You're… you're a…"
Paulie wasn't impressed. Fergy hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes tightened to slits in rage.
"…A Cluckle-headed dumb-dumb!"
"…Really?" If anything, the unusual insult just made him smirk. "Well then, you're a pain in the behind. I can't believe I still put up with you. See ya."
As he said this, the Pretztail turned around and left the scene. Fergy was astounded.
"HEY! Come back!" But the plea fell on deaf ears. "I'm not done with you! Some friend you turned out to be…!"
"Who said we were friends?" He stopped and turned around to look at the befuddled Fudgehog, and with an unusually mean, almost volatile snarl, he spoke. "We're not friends. And you? You're just a pathetic wimp!"
He growled again, turned around, and bounded off into the bushes, his papery, red tail waving behind him.
Fergy couldn't get himself to say anything. He sat down, rubbing his forepaws together, tears forming in his eyes. His lower lip trembled and he burst out in crying.
What in the world was going on? His best friend acting towards him like this! He sat there for a while, hoping somebody would come back – or if it was a terrible nightmare, somebody would wake him up… preferably Paulie.
No. Not Paulie. He just insulted the poor Fudgehog who was now beyond himself with grief. But, he figured – maybe there was something strange going on.
He stood up, wiping away the tears from his eyes himself, and ran off in the opposite direction.
