The little worm seemed to have everything a worm could possibly want in life: an important job, a nice home, plenty to eat, friends, and a virtually stress-free lifestyle. But there was something more he wished for. As of yet it remained out of reach.
He was a nightcrawler, the largest species of worm in North America. The little worm was born in the early spring in the warm black dirt of the garden, the perfect environment for him to grow. And growing up is what he wanted to do more than anything else. During his short time in the garden, he had witnessed that only the largest of adult worms got to do the one thing he couldn’t, the one thing that he wished for.
Spending the entire day doing the same job over and over may seem laborious to others, but not to the little worm. Rarely was he seen at his job although he was there every day, wiggling through soil, keeping it loose while depositing vital nutriments and slowly turning the dirt from fallow to fertile. The worm provided the perfect ecosystem for the plants above to grow deep.
Always needing to stay moist, the little worm stayed underground, living in the tunnels he provided a channel for water and roots. There were only two reasons that brought him to the surface: when heavy rains flooded his tunnel home, or when the farmer’s two young boys overturned rocks he was living under.
On rare occurrences when he did come to the surface and was seen by the boys, they really didn’t take much notice of him. He was too small. They simply walked on by and selected the older and much bigger nightcrawlers. Still, even young and small, he knew he was important. The success or failure of the entire garden of crops depended on the unseen little worm and his burrowing. So he continued to burrow and continued to grow.
Tilling by the farmer and birds were the only real dangers to the little worm. After Easter, seeds were planted in the warm soil, watered and harvested throughout the hot summer, and replanted during the coolness of fall. On occasion when the farmer weeded, the worm was pulled up but was quickly placed gently back into the soil. Even though he was small, the farmer knew just how important the little worm was.
Still not big enough to be selected, the little worm was ignored by the two boys and denied the only thing he wanted in life. The only thing he couldn’t have.
That year a harsh winter came to the farm and stayed for three long months. Many worms in the garden didn’t heed the early warnings and were caught too near to the surface. They didn’t want to do the work of making their burrows deeper below the freeze line. Unfortunately none of them survived, but not so for the little worm. He had taken notice early and worked hard burrowing deep underground. He survived and grew even larger.
It was early the next spring that it happened. The little worm wasn’t so little anymore. Once the smallest, he was now the largest of all the nightcrawlers in the garden. It was right after the farmer tilled and planted the spring garden that it happened. The little worm finally got what he always wanted.
All his life he’d been envious of the other, larger and older nightcrawlers that were selected by the boys. Now the boys had selected him.
Scooped up with some dirt so he would stay moist and placed gingerly in a pail with a lid, the worm was taken from the only home he had ever known, but he wasn’t worried. The boys were providing everything that he needed to be happy. He felt as if he was the most important worm in the entire garden.
“So considerate,” the worm thought. “Those boys really take good care of all the worms they have taken from the garden. No wonder none of them had ever returned. After working all my life, I’m so happy to finally get what I’ve always wanted. I’m going on a vacation! Don’t really know, but I think I’m going to like fishing.”
[Rick Ryckeley has been writing stories since 2001. To read more of Rick’s stories, visit his blog: storiesbyrick.wordpress.com.]
