Reminds me of The Idiot by Dostoevsky. One of the main characters, Aglaya, says to another one of the main characters, Lev Nicholev: "You're a hedgehog!" His reply: "I'll get you a hedgehog.". He gets her a hedgehog, she loves it, and then she takes it everywhere she goes, in her pocket. I had no idea they were so small. Apparently they've been a fairly popular pet for about 200 years.