In a beautiful garden lived a little earthworm named Willy. Willy lived down in the soil, where it was warm and soft, like a brown velvet blanket.
Every morning, the flowers in the garden would lift their heads and wait for Father Sun to wake them up. Red roses, yellow daisies, purple violets—each one more beautiful than the last. Little bees buzzed busily from flower to flower, and butterflies danced on the petals.
But Willy had never seen any of this.
Willy lived in the soil. His world was dark, soft, and warm. Every day he would wiggle and squirm, twist and turn, eat and eat, and turn the soil into soft, rich compost.
“Sigh,” Willy sighed. “I live in the dark soil and can’t see anything beautiful. The flowers must be so happy. They can see the sun, the butterflies, and even rainbows.”
One day, Willy couldn’t help but poke his head out of the soil and ask the old oak tree beside him, “Grandpa Oak, tell me—what can a little earthworm do? I live underground and can’t see anything beautiful.”
Old Oak chuckled, his leaves rustling softly. “Little Willy, do you know that without you, this land would become hard and poor, and the flowers couldn’t grow at all?”
“Really?” Willy’s eyes went wide.
“Of course it’s true,” said Old Oak. “Every day you wiggle through the soil, loosening it up so that air and water can flow in and the flowers’ roots can breathe. The soil you eat turns into fertilizer that fills the flowers’ tummies. You, my friend, are the most important little gardener in this garden!”
Willy felt warm inside. He wiggled back down into the soil and kept twisting and turning, wiggling and squirming.
A few days later, while Willy was busy working in the soil, he suddenly heard a tiny voice from above: “Thank you, little earthworm!”
Willy poked his head out and saw a small pink daisy.
“Thank me?” Willy asked, puzzled.
“Yes!” said the little daisy with a smile. “My roots are right next to you. Every day you loosen the soil so my roots can stretch out, and the fertilizer you leave behind helps me grow strong and tall. Today I finally bloomed! Look—aren’t my petals pretty?”
Willy looked up at the little daisy’s pink petals glowing in the sunlight and smiled happily.
From that day on, Willy never felt his work was boring again. He knew that behind every blooming flower, there was his quiet, hard work in the soil.
Every evening, Willy lay in the warm soil, listening to the flowers whisper goodnight, and his heart felt sweet.
He thought: Even though I can’t see the sun, the flowers see it for me. Even though I can’t see the rainbow, the flowers see it for me. And the fact that the flowers can see all of this—well, I had a little something to do with that.
The little earthworm closed his eyes and had a sweet dream in the warm soil. In his dream, every flower in the garden was smiling at him.
Goodnight, little Willy. Goodnight, every flower.
