Once upon a time, there was a tiny worm, named Norbert, who lived deep under the ground. He was a happy worm, content with how things were going, yet he always had this one wish, lingering deep within his soul. He wanted to see the sun.

He had heard the older worms talk of the warm ball of light that could been seen at the very tippy top of his world, and listened to the tales from the other worms about their worm relatives who’d actually traveled thaaat far away.

From the first time he heard them talking about the warm ball of light, Norbert knew he just HAD to learn more about it.

And, the more he heard about it from his older worm brothers and sisters and his many worm classmates at the worm academy, the more he knew that one day……..  one day soon, he would be big enough. And strong enough. And brave enough.

He knew that one day, he would travel allll the way to the top of the earth  …. And he’d see this wondrous, mystical brightness    and he would experience for himself the strange warmth from this great thing he heard about.

So, Norbert studied hard at the academy, for what seemed to him, a veeeeery long time (but in worm years, it was only like a few months). He listened intently to his teachers. And he learned how to read and write (in his native worm tongue, of course). And he trained for hours every day, scrubbing along his belly, and inching his way back and forth, in front of his house.

Norbert knew his mother would get upset about the ever deepening rut he caused in the earth in the front yard, but he was also a very determined young worm. He was striving to be the strongest and the fastest and the bravest worm in the worm races he and his buddies would have at recess and after school.

And with each day that passed, Norbert noticed he could crawl just a little bit faster, and that he had dug that rut just a little bit further. And he soon discovered that he was able to crawl for longer periods of time too, before he’d get a little frightened about being sooo far away from home and his family, and before turning around in his dark trench to scrubby-crawl, inching his way back to his comfy, cozy home. Where he knew his mother would be waiting for him with a big, loving hug and a warm meal.

And every night Norbert would go to sleep in his safe, cozy bed with a soft smile on his face, quietly humming to himself and dreaming about the day he would burrow his own way to the top of the earth, and when he too would bask in the glowing sunlight.

Then one day, not too long after he had graduated from the worm academy, Norbert realized that it was finally time. Today was ‘the Big Day’!

He was sooo excited, and even a tiny bit nervous. And he could feel his breakfast doing what seemed like flip flops in his tummy. But, Norbert flashed a confident smile to his younger siblings and to his friends, and he hugged and kissed his proud mother and father and said his goodbyes.

And Norbert began his long journey. Up and through the round pathway he had built over time.

He had memorized the many twists and turns and knew the way by heart. He could even go it in his sleep, if he had to. But today, Norbert was way too excited to even think about sleeping. Not at a time like this …..  after all, he was about to discover the Great Beyond for himself. And he smiled. A great big, beaming smile.

And so, Norbert traveled along the familiar passage ….. up and up and up he went …  veering over to the left for a short distance, to avoid a tree root, and then up some more.

And after a while of steady climbing, Norbert thought he heard a noise. He paused a second …. then continued forward. But wait! He’d never noticed those faint vibrations before ….  but he could definitely feel them now.

Norbert stopped his scrubby-crawling,  and he lay there real still. Experiencing the subtle vibrations and listening to the echoes he could feel through the dirt just above him.

And then, with a long, deep breath, Norbert pushed himself forward and up, through the thin skin of soil and finally, out into the bright day.

And he could smell the fresh air! Oh my goodness!! No one had EVER mentioned the sensational FRESHNESS in the air before!! He looked all around, with his eyes great big, and Norbert saw that it was all he’d ever imagined it would be. And MORE! And it was deliciously warm. And gloriously bright. And, it was Oh So Wonder-fully AIRY! And he smiled. A great big, deliriously happy smile.

So, Norbert crawled around in the grass, and when he nibbled on it, he discovered he liked the taste of it. Well, sort of …. it wasn’t exactly like one of mom’s home cooked dinners, but it was good and it filled him up.

And when he crawled even further, he discovered a small pool of water just beyond the grass, and he drank the cool liquid, quenching the tremendous thirst he had garnered from his grassy feast.

Then Norbert crawled around a little further    and soon he discovered a patch of soft sand, warm from the sunshine, and he rolled around in it for a few minutes enjoying how the silky granules felt sliding off his smooth back. And he lay there a while, real still, basking in the sunlight and thinking about his worm life, and his fantastic journey and all the new things he had experienced today. And full and warm, he smiled. A great big, sleepy smile.

After several long hours, the sun began to slowly melt behind the big tree, and the shadows grew longer, and Norbert could sense a cooler, crisper breeze along his back. And he sighed a long sigh. He knew it was time for him to go back to his little hole in the ground, and return to the under earth.

Oh! Not because he was scared. Oh no Silly! He was not scared at all. He was HAPPY. Very happy. And he was content and satisfied with himself.

Norbert had finally achieved what he had dreamed about and worked so hard for. And he knew he would come back above ground again the next day, and the day after that too. And he knew he would crawl even further, and longer. And he knew he would find more new things in that big, beautiful place, all strange and wonderful at the same time. And he knew he would experience them fully, and he would learn even more about everything he discovered there.

And Norbert knew that each day there after he would return to his home, deep below the surface, and he would talk about his grand findings with his parents and his friends, and to his younger brother and sister worms. And he knew that they, in turn, would relay his wonderful tales to their friends, about the warm ball of light at the tippy top of their world, and they would even go on to tell of how much fresher and crisper the air is up there.

And, at night, the littler worms would crawl into their safe, warm beds and they would dream their own little dreams, about how they wanted to be fast and strong and brave. And about their own journeys to the top of the earth.

And Norbert smiled, a great big, content smile, and he could see how wonderful his worm life was and he knew he would live happily, ever after. And he did.

THE END   =)

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