Once upon a time, there was a magical forest full of all kinds of plants and animals. In this forest, there was a tiny glowworm named Glowy. Glowy lived in a cozy little burrow beneath the roots of a majestic oak tree.
Despite the beautiful surroundings, Glowy lived alone in his house without going out much. The forest was vibrant with all sorts of animals. And sometimes, other animals would stop by the grassland in front of the Glowy’s house and play. Yet Glowy hesitated to make friends. Glowy would often hide behind tree leaves and bark, watching other animals play and have fun. Because he was shy.
One sunny day, Glowy was looking outside from a window of his house. Three friends stopped by for a picnic. They were a squirrel called Tom and a pair of rabbits called Andy and Mandy. They spread a blanket, laid out delicious treats, and began to enjoy their day. The trio shared stories, acting out their adventures with playful gestures. Glowy, well hidden behind the tree, was enjoying the scene.
As the friends shared more laughter and joy, they decided to play hide and seek. Glowy watched with joy in his eyes as the rabbits and squirrels took turns hiding and seeking. Glowy enjoyed how the seeker just missed finding the ones who were well hidden. First, Tom closed his eyes and counted to ten until Andy and Mandy hid. Then, in the next round, Andy closed his eyes and started counting to ten.
Suddenly, Tom came running and jumping towards the oak tree. He chose the same tree to hide behind. He saw Glowy and called his rabbit friends.
“Andy! Mandy! Come here! Look what I found!” Tom screemed. Both Andy and Mandy came running to see what Tom had found. They all starred at Glowy. Glowy was shy and a little bit scared. He went backwards to hide behind the bark. But there was no room for him to hide anymore.
Curious friends didn’t know what Glowy was. So, they started guessing. “What is it?” Tom asked.
“It sure doesn’t look like a squirrel,” Andy said.
“Of course, it doesn’t look like a squarrel. I am a squirrel,” Tom said.
“Oh, you are a squirrel? I thought you were a tree-climbing rabbit with a longer tail,” Andy said.
“Seriously, Andy?” Tom replied.
“I think it’s a fruit. You should try eating it,” Mandy said to Tom.
“Are you out of your mind? It is a living thing, just like us. Look! It moves! It’s not fruit,” Tom said.
“Can’t it be a moving fruit? I always knew there were moving fruits out there,” Andy said with excitement in his eyes.
“You are right.” Mandy agreed with Andy.
“Can’t you guys be serious for one moment? I wonder if it can talk,” Tom said.
“A talking fruit that can move! Woooow!” Andy was so excited.
Glowy, listening to all of this, was scared but, at the same time, holding his laugh. Glowy was scared since they were strangers to him and they talked about whether he was an edible fruit. Yet the guesses of the rabbits were funny.
“No way! Come on, you guys! Do you really think this is a fruit? If so, who took it under this tree bark? And why are there no other fruits like this? And look up. There is not a single fruit tree around,” Tom said.
“Oh, I see,” Mandy said.
“What? Tom and Andy asked.
“This must be an ant queen. I have heard stories about ant queens. It is said they are big. Way bigger than ants,” Mandy whispered.
“Your Highness! Have mercy on me for calling you a fruit,” Andy said, bowing to Glowy.
Seeing that, Glowy couldn’t suppress his laughter anymore. He chuckled heartily, with closed eyes and tears.
Listening to his laugh, the squirrel and two rabbits were shocked. After a good laugh, Glowy opened his eyes. He saw three friends start at her. He felt shy.
The mindful squirrel broke the silence. “Hello, I’m Tom. Tom the squirrel. What are you?”
“Yes, he is a squirrel, not a tree-climbing rabbit with a longer tail. Hahaha,” Andy interrupted with a laugh. Glowy got a laugh too.
“Hello, I am a glowworm,” Glowy introduced himself.
“Hello, Glowworm, What’s your name?” tom asked.
“I am Glowy,” Glowy replied.
Glowy the Glowworm! cool, Tom whispered.
“Wait a minute, you said you were a glowworm. So that means you are a worm that glows?” Andy asked.
“Well. Yes,” Glowy replied shyly.
“Show us!” an excited Mandy asked.
Glowy illuminated her body. It was radiant light green.
“Wow! so cool! the trio said.
“Would you like to be friends with us?” Tom asked.
“Come on. Come on. Say yes!” Two rabbits started jumping.
“Yes, but I am tiny and I am not like you three,” Glowy said.
“It’s fine if you are the same as us or not. We can be friends,” Tom said.
“Yes, you can also be a rabbit. A rabbit who glows green and is also so tiny and looks like a worm,” Andy said.
“And don’t have long ears or a tail,” Mandy added.
“And don’t have fur,” Andy added.
“And who is not stupid like these two rabbits?” Tom said it laughingly. Everyone laughed. Their laughter echoed through the forest.
Glowy has been friends with Tom, Andy, and Mandy ever since. They played together. We went on picnics, looked at the stars at night, and looked after each other. Since Glowy is so tiny and can’t move like the other three, Tom, Andy, or Mandy often carried Glowy on their heads.
And so, beneath the towering trees of the magical forest, Glowy discovered the joy of laughter and the warmth of friendship. The once-shy glowworm now has good friends. He learned that having good friends makes life easier and more joyful. The happy Glowy glowed even more.