Henrietta the Hairy Haggis II

Henrietta lived in a beautiful Scottish Highland Glen with her mum, Harriet, dad, Harry and her 12 haggis brothers and sisters. 

Her life was blissfully happy and carefree.  Every day she would play in the sunshine and forage for purple heather, a favourite feast for a haggis.

Henrietta was the youngest of 13, unlucky for some, but she felt blessed that she had such a wonderful family. 

She was a right-legged haggis as her two left legs were longer than her right.  This allowed her to run clockwise round the hill without falling off.

On the whole Henrietta was a good haggis but sometimes she ignored her parents advice.  

Her mum and dad insisted that, once the shooting season started, she wasn’t allowed out of the den.  

Henrietta couldn’t resist the bright summer sunshine and, in a fit of rage, sneaked out of the den even though the hunting season had already started.  

She gambolled and munched on the heather and harebells full of the joys of summer until she came across a haggis hunt.  

There were, what seemed like, 100’s of hungry hounds and big burly huntsmen.  Henrietta was terrified because she knew if they caught her they would eat her for dinner.

She cowered in the heather quiet as a field mouse but, unfortunately, one of the dogs saw her. 

It came running after her at breakneck speed and, in her fear and confusion, she ran the wrong way round the hill. 

This was a nigh on impossible feat for a right-legged haggis and she lost her balance and tumbled over and over and over down the hillside. 

She kept rolling and rolling until she landed with a bump at the bottom of the hill right inside a badger set. 

I don’t know who got the biggest surprise, Henrietta or Bertie the badger. 

The hounds dug at the entrance to the set, howling loudly, but luckily they were too big to enter the badgers den and soon gave up.

Although safe, Henrietta started sobbing.  “What’s wrong” asked Bertie.  Henrietta explained that, even though she was safe from the huntsmen and their dogs, she would never be able to climb back up the hill to her home with her wee short legs. 

Bertie comforted her and promised to take her home. 

True to his word Bertie climbed the steep hill with Henrietta clinging on tightly to his back and returned her to her family. 

Henrietta and her family were overjoyed and couldn’t thank Bertie enough. 

Henrietta learnt her lesson and never left the den during the hunting season ever again.

Copyright Mary Chandler, 2015