A Porcupine named Fluffy
When Mr. and Mrs. Porcupine had their first child, they were delighted. Now he needed a name.
Should they call him Spike? No. Spike was too common. Should they call him Lance? No. Lance sounded too fierce. Should they call him Needleroozer? No Needleroozer was too… Long. Prickles? Pokey? Quillan? Then together they had an idea. Aha!! “Let’s call him Fluffy. It’s such a pretty name. Fluffy!”
But soon there came a time when fluffy began to doubt that he was fluffy.
He first became suspicious when he backed into a door and stuck fast. That was not a fluffy thing to do. He was more convinced when he accidentally slept on his back and poked holes in the mattress.
A very unfluffy thing to do.
When he tried to carry an umbrella he knew the truth without a doubt. Fluffy definitely wasn’t.
So he decided to become fluffier. “Clouds are fluffy,” he thought. “I’ll be a cloud.” But he couldn’t stay up. “I know pillows are fluffy!” He said “I’ll be a pillow.” But when his mother sat on him, Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! she was not pleased. He tried soaking in a bubble bath for forty-five minutes, but he did not become fluffy he became soggy.
He tried whipped cream. He put a little on each quill. It was not easy, and it took more than half a day. But this did not make Fluffy fluffy. “They should have named me Gooey,” he sighed. He ate a lot of fluffy marshmallows. He rolled in shaving cream and feathers. He even tried to become a bunny. But the truth remained Fluffy wasn’t.
One afternoon Fluffy set out for a walk, trying to think ways to become fluffy. Before long he met a very large rhinoceros.
“Grrrr!, said the rhinoceros. I’m going to give you a rough time” Fluffy didn’t know what rough time was, but he didn’t like the sound of it at all.
“What is your name small prickly thing?” asked the rhinoceros unkindly “Fluffy,” said Fluffy.
The rhinoceros smiled.
He giggled.
Then he laughed out loud.
He rolled on the ground.
He jiggled and slapped his knees.
He roared with laughter.

“A porcupine named Fluffy!” howled the rhinoceros. Fluffy was embarrassed, but he tried to be polite. “And what is your name?” he inquired.

“H … I can’t say it” giggled the rhinoceros. “Hubert?” suggested Fluffy.
H… H… H… oh help, I just can’t say it, I’m laughing so hard,” said the rhinoceros. “Harold? Or maybe Herman?” asked Fluffy. “No,” gasped the rhinoceros. “It’s H… H… H… H… H… H…..HIPPO.”

Hippo.
A rhinoceros named Hippo.
Fluffy smiled.
He giggled.
Then he laughed out loud.
He jiggled and slapped his knees.
He howled with laughter.
“A rhinoceros named Hippo!” Fluffy cried.

A porcupine named Fluffy.
A rhinoceros named Hippo.
It was almost more than they could bear. Hippo and Fluffy rolled on the ground giggling and laughing until tears came to their eyes. At last they lay exhausted on the ground. From that time on they were the best of friends. And Fluffy didn’t mind being fluffy anymore-even though he wasn’t.