Fox was a fox.
A fox with a lovely long tail with lots of reds and yellows and blacks and browns weaving in and out of each other. It generally whipped from side to side at many different speeds, mostly depending on his mood.
A fox with a bushy cheeky face, where his big blue eyes would shimmer green when the light was just perfectly right.
A fox whose most favourite word he could ever even think of (even before the words sleep and eat) was the word fun. Specifically, to have fun. Lots of it.
Fox lived within the bushes and the trees, in the little Green that was just opposite number 67, and all the other odd numbered houses up until number 89.
He loved to explore and discover all the beautiful things that surrounded him.
He would scuttle behind the bins.
He would slip through breaks in fences.
He would dive amongst the flowers.
He would dance all over the benches.
And, sometimes, he would have a journey through the gardens.
On a Sunday, a bright and sunny and lazy Sunday to be exact, fox was having a wander about and came across a gap in a fence. Peeking through the mouldy old fence, Fox spotted what looked like a very interesting garden indeed.
This garden had a girl in it, a girl with lots of curly blond hair and a big loud laugh that bounced around her. She was singing made up words to a made up song all to herself, while playing with some dinosaurs.
Fox had always wanted a human friend, and if he were to have one he would be definite, he thought right then, that this girl should be just that. Someone with that much hair, with that loud of a laugh, who played with dinosaurs and sang strange songs would just have to be that. A friend.
Swishing his tail and flicking his ears, Fox built up the courage to potter over to the girl.
“Allo” said fox to the girl. “My name’s Fox, what’s yours then?”
The girl stopped singing and laughing and simply said straight back “Charlie”.
Fox stared at the dinosaurs. All the fun possibilities that they had swam across his eyes, and Charlie saw their playful reflections.
Charlie thought about Fox for a moment, and then added “What you been up to? Do you like dinosaurs?”
“Well”, Fox confessed, “I one hundred percent adore dinosaurs, they are great fun!”
“Do you want to play dinosaurs with me then?” asked Charlie.
With so much excitement running about Fox’s head all he could scream in reply was “Oh! Yes please!”
Fox and Charlie played many dinosaurs games.
Lets play scared dinosaurs!
Now lets do hungry dinosaurs!
No happy dinosaurs!
Singing dinosaurs!
Uh Oh, Silly dinosaurs!
As the time went on in a dinosaur blur, the pair barely noticed the sky had changed so much. So full of happiness and joy, of laughter and delight, they hugged each other. And in that moment, arm in paw, the pair had the same exact thought.
Oh! It’s so much fun playing with dinosaurs!
Oh! It’s so much fun playing with a brand new and lovely friend!
The sun began to settle down into it’s bed, blues and greens blending into oranges and yellows, and all the mums and dads around the estate were beginning to whoop and shout for their kids to come inside for tea. As did, at that exact and very moment, Charlie’s mum.
“Oh no! Oh Fox, I have to go home now! Sorry!”
Handing Charlie back her dinosaur, Fox looked down at the grass. Then he looked to the side where the broken fence was. Then he looked up at the warm cloudy sky. Fox was so nervous before he uttered his next few words that he thought it best to look all around Charlie and not directly into her face.
“Never mind, never mind darlin’ Charlie, but…could we maybe play again tomorrah?”
Charlie gave him a look. A look half way between confusion and wonder, with a touch of delight sparkling in her lovely bright eyes.
“OH COURSE FOX! You’re my friend forever now! Bye then fox!” she screeched.
After one last quick and clumsy cuddle goodbye, Fox left Charlie and scampered off home to his bushes and trees and dirt and leaves. Although he was so tired after a long day of dinosaur fun, he ambled back to the Green positively leaping with joy.
Sounds of laughter and made up songs tickled his ears.
Visions of dinosaurs and blond hair danced passed his eyes.
How exciting it is, how fun and wonderful and lovely and beautiful it is, to find such a friend!
And with that last little thought, fox snuggled up inside his bark and twigs and dirt and, with a satisfied little smile spread wide across his snout, he fell fast asleep.
