17. Patting and petting

Little Hairy-Harry didn’t dare meet the gaze of his new mate. He had one wish and one wish only: to disappear, vanish in his hidey-hole and be forgotten about. To add insult to injury, what with all the pressure, his pimple had burst. He felt disfigured and ashamed of the ugly, red thing in the middle of his face. Really, this wasn’t his day.

‘Take it easy, matey. It’s no big deal. Do you want me to let one rip too, to make you feel better?’

‘Woaahhhh!’ The smell made him dizzy.

‘Look, it happens to everybody. It’s actually pretty fun. We could even do a competition. Have you got a ciggie lighter? I wanna show you something really cool.’

Little Hairy-Harry was smiling again, despite himself. This mate of his, he thought, was really rather pleasant. The most wonderful surprise of all, however, was that he found himself now at ground level, his arms free!

Very courteously, he asked if he could pat the marvellous fur coat. And oh, it was soft! What a glorious sensation! Little Hairy-Harry was simply thrilled. Thrilled.