…
“... Mmh…”
…
The sunlight beaming down on the sleeping orange hedgehog stirred him awake. Waking up exhausted from his weekend while lying on an empty rooftop of a random apartment building, which he has declared home, with multiple, scattered high-rise buildings surrounding the area. The noises of the bustling streets are heard from below; vehicles honk, helicopters fly, and even the pedestrian noise blares at this height.
Although sleepy, he rubs his groggy eyes, trying to make out the time on his watch, which reads 7:55 A.M.
Yawning and rubbing his eyes once more before sitting up, he double-checks his time yet again—7:55 A.M.
“Oh, wait… my shift starts at 8.”
Upon realizing this, his first instinct is to panic, knowing he had overslept throughout the entire weekend. But he immediately remains calm; the more he panics, the more he wastes time. He stretches his legs and arms before standing on the edge of the rooftop, looking out at the skyline, surrounded by multiple high-rise buildings in the city. He runs alongside the edge, balancing himself fully before jumping down onto a series of balconies and eventually landing on the sidewalk, then flashing away with an orange trail, tracing where he runs.
The pedestrians are stunned by what they have witnessed: an orange hedgehog appearing from above and instantly disappearing. Some pedestrians remain frozen while others mind their own business. “That hedgehog is insane…” One of the pedestrians remarked.
Throughout the busy streets, an orange blur passes by each vehicle and pedestrian, leaving a trail of confusion and breeze among the civilians. He checks the time and grits his teeth in frustration. “Come on! I can’t be late!” The intensifying speed causes the hedgehog to speed up further, hoping he’ll make it on time.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
In the finance building, the orange blur appears before it makes out the hedgehog once more. The stairs are closed for the day due to construction, so he forces himself to take the elevator because he works on the 5th floor of the building. Before getting close to the elevator, he’s greeted by his childhood friend, a receptionist named Woofa the Dog. “Hey, orange furball.” His well-known nickname, plus, she created all for him.
“Hey, Woofa…” He greets her as usual, walking towards her and stopping at the receptionist's desk, leaning on it while giving himself some time to control his breath after his marathon run.
Woofa looks at the time on the computer and smirks, seeing that her friend has suddenly woken up late. “Seems like someone’s trying to get on time before our boss finds out.” She chuckles mischievously.
He groans at her response. “... I’m trying to be on time here. Can you stop stalling me?” He says while tapping his finger on the desk.
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that.” She eventually looks at the elevator and the line being piled up. “Though you might want to hurry up, you have a long line.” She points at the line.
He’s alarmed when he sees the line for the elevator. “A-Are you serious?” He looks back at his watch before realizing that it’s broken. “Oh, great, my watch is broken.” He takes off his watch and throws it away, landing in the trash bin. “Everything is breaking apart! First the stairwell, and now my watch. Well, to be fair, my watch was getting old. ” He immediately looks back at her for a request. “Can you tell me what time it is?”
"Only 1 minute left.”
He sighs, momentarily thinking about his decision before going with it. “I hate doing this…” Staring at the elevator and preparing to do the unthinkable.
“You better not hurt the others.” She starts to drink her coffee, glancing at him nervously before looking back at her computer.
While waiting for one of the elevator doors to open. “I won’t. I promise you that.” He says as the line for the elevator keeps piling up, preparing for the worst.
Just when the elevator door opens, his coworkers flock into the elevator. At that moment, the same orange blur cuts through the crowd, avoiding injuring them, but manages to fit inside the elevator before his coworkers take all of their spots inside, leaving them and the hedgehog crammed as the door closes.
“That damn hedgehog is always clutch.” She smirks upon seeing his plan work.
The orange hedgehog patiently waits inside the cramped elevator, where the silence blares throughout the majority of the ride until the elevator stops at his designated floor. Once he enters the 5th floor, it’s as busy as it gets. All of his coworkers storm around this floor as if a stock market crash has just happened.
No choice but flashing through the place, avoiding his coworkers, and miraculously making it into his work zone. He sees the time on the clock he set up on his desk. “7:59...” He sighs in relief. “Thank god!” Truly expressing himself before turning on his computer to start his day.
A black porcupine by the name of Tricky spots him. “Almost late to work?” He asks the most obvious question on their planet.
“Yes, Tricky. Thanks for observing.” The orange hedgehog responds before continuing with his day.
