Willie takes a plunge

Press, 26 April 1988, Page 24

Willie takes a plunge

By

KIRSTEN SPURR,

aged IX of Ivy Cottage,

Rangiora.

There was once a young worm named Willie who thought he was absolutely perfect. So one day he decided to show off his | skills. ; ; ! I. i

Willie had!come from a long chain of adventurous worms, so he thought he could -do things that his ancestors did, but muCh better! First he [started training exercises because even champions need to warm [ up. i ’ Only once more round the track," he told himself as he startled his ninth round of the track, which was ir quick! crawl around -Ahree lettuces. Halfway i through his tenth; round Willie was exhausted, (but he still kept going. For the first object he had to eat his way through a[ gigantic rotten peach under the old peach tree. "That shouldn’t be too hard,)' thought Willie.j ”1 haveian enormous appetite after all that craiwl- . t'lg- i ■ ■ Holvever.i when Willie appeared out of the side of thh squejlchy. peachj he looked positively green, but being Willie he didn’t let itj worry’ him and kept right on skiting to i his friends that had gathered around him. was the dangerous ’’clothes line crawl” which made every worm’s ends shiver, but; not Willie. He

mad| it across all right but had a near fall somewhere near the middle. [ By now L’lllie was looking positively sick, but he kept on giving not admitting a thing. Just brushing away jremiirks like, "Are you [feeling OK.'i with a flick; of his tail. I [ i

Finally, he neared the last [object, and that was the hardest of all. 11 i ' He had [to walk past a common bird, the blackbird! ; d i

Now blackbirds were very fond of worms, and very big, but Willie didn’t let this worry I him. The blackbird was lazily pecking at the ground with his beak and Willie didn’t think he looked all that dangerous. But soon he was to be proved wrong. As Willie carelesslywalked past the big bird, it turned its head just slightly to see a tasty morsel crawling by without a care in the world. Now Jenny. Willie's younger sister, was watching very- closely and just happened to notice the nasty gleam in the crafty blackbird’s eye and set off to tell Willie about it. Unfortunately she was too late because Willie was now opposite the nastybird.

Jenny suddenly yelled in the loudekt voice possible for a! worm, “Look out, you stupid fool!"

Instantly i Willie turned around for- of course, hei didn’t like [to be called a fool, and when he turned [ he saw an beak just about to swallow him [ whole. Then just in the [ nick of time he got a. | sudden burst of energy and made! a tremendous 1 leap in the air.| , j! The bird's beak was thrust into the ground with no wjorm in the end and Willie hurried off to[[ find Jenny and his terri- [ fied friends, .■ ; ).■ For the;next few weeks' Willie wak very sick with a case of the Wormflu, i but he soon was around, telling everyone howj great he had been scaring! away a big blackbird. Bu|[ of course everyone knew better than to' listen tm him, for if it wasn't for! Jenny, Willie wouldn’t be[ there. ;

So this time it just so! happened that Willie! wasn’t the hero. Jenny! was, and Willie learnt he was not perfect all the; time.