Wilbur Worm and the Umbrella

WILBUR WORM AND THE UMBRELLA

Wilbur Worm came out of his hole and looked round the garden. Huge raindrops splished and splashed around him, making muddy pools in the lawn and flower beds.

"My favourite kind of day, said Wilbur happily, and he set off across the grass to play in the water.

"Ooh! Ouch! Ooh! Ouch!

Wilbur stopped and peered about him nervously. What could be making such strange noises?

"Ooh! Ouch! Ooh! Ouch!

Just as he was beginning to feel rather frightened, Wilbur spotted Alfie Ant running towards him in a zigzag line. He was trying to dodge the rain, but big drops kept landing right on top of him.

Wilbur loved the rain. It made his waterproof skin shiny and slippery, just right for wriggling in the mud. Poor Alfie Ant, however, was so small that the huge raindrops were like big buckets of water being thrown over his head and the slippery mud meant his six little legs kept slipping, all in different directions.

"Come over here with me, called Wilbur and helped Alfie to the shelter of a large patch of clover. Alfie shivered, and said "thank you, Wilbur.

The friends stayed under the leaves playing "I Spy and other guessing games until the shower passed. Then Alfie slipped and slid his way home through the mud, whilst Wilbur wriggled happily through the wet grass to the biggest, muddiest puddle he could find.

That evening, as Wilbur sat in his hole munching his leaf sandwiches he kept thinking about Alfie and the rain. What could he do to help his friend? There must be other insects in the garden who had the same problem. There must be a solution. He went to bed that night and dreamed of rainbows and puddles and wellington boots (which was very strange for a worm with no feet).

The next morning Wilbur came out of his hole and looked round the garden. He had dreamed up several ideas and he was eager to try them out.

He hurried off to find his friend Bobby Beetle. Bobby loved helping, although not everyone was always pleased with his help. He was rather clumsy and often dropped things or bumped into things. When Wilbur asked him for help, Bobby was so excited that he jumped up and down, until he tipped himself over, and had to be helped off his hard, round back up onto his six, fidgety feet.
Wilbur explained that he was trying to invent something to keep the rain off poor Alfie Ant and he needed someone to help him test some ideas.

Wilbur and Bobby found 3 leaves - a dandelion leaf, an oak leaf and a tulip leaf. Wilbur collected water from a puddle in a daffodil trumpet.

Bobby stood holding the dandelion leaf over his head while Wilbur tipped the water right over Bobby. Poor Bobby. The water was too heavy for the soft leaf. It dipped out of the way and the water went all over the little beetle.

They tried again with the oak leaf. The leaf was stronger but the water ran over the shiny surface and off the edge, all over Bobby.

Finally they tried the tulip leaf. This was big, and covered Bobby completely. It was strong and didn't bend when the water was poured over it. Bobby's head and body stayed dry.

"Hooray said Wilbur. The tulip leaf was a success.

But ¦

The water ran down the leaf and collected in the thick, hollow stem before pouring out of the hole at the bottom all over Bobby's feet.

"Time to try another idea, I think said Wilbur.

There were some prickly conker cases in the garden left from last year. They looked as though they might work. They had a thick, waterproof surface which would keep out the rain. They were big enough to cover Bobby, so they would definitely be big enough to cover a tiny ant and keep him dry. They were quite heavy, but ants are very strong.

Bobby cheered. They had found something to save Alfie from the rain. In his excitement he let go of the conker case and it fell down right on top of him.

"Help! Is it night time already? I can't see where I'm going and I should have been home for my tea, cried a muffled little voice from under the shell.

The conker case was just too big and heavy for Bobby to lift up and he was trapped inside, in the dark. Wilbur helped him out into the sunshine.

"Don't worry. You haven't missed tea. The conker case just fell over you. I think we need another, lighter idea, he said.

Wilbur and Bobby lay down in the grass, gazing up at the blue sky and white fluffy clouds, wondering what else would make a good shelter for Alfie and his family. Soon Wilbur heard quiet, contented snores beside him. Bobby had fallen asleep in the sunshine. It seemed silly trying to think about rain shelters on such a lovely day. The sun twinkled on Sidney and Susan Spider's webs, as the twins spun their nets. The dandelion's shadows danced on the grass as the breeze blew the flowers gently. Wilbur was a happy worm.

Suddenly he jumped up, knocking a startled Bobby over onto his feet.

"I've got it! he shouted excitedly. "Come on sleepyhead, and he slithered off at top speed to find Sidney and Susan, followed rather more slowly by the drowsy, confused beetle.

The twins were delighted to help Wilbur and Bobby and got to work immediately. As Wilbur and Bobby each held the strong stem of a dandelion, the spiders gently spun a web around the petals, holding them firmly in place and adding an extra layer to stop the rain dripping between the petals. The umbrellas looked so pretty with their green handles, bright yellow covers and sparkly web coating.

Sidney and Susan collected some water in daffodil trumpets and tried out their new invention, with Bobby and Wilbur standing under their shiny, new umbrellas. The water hit the flowers, but the petals did not bend or break. The webs filled all the gaps between the petals, and the water ran off the edges of the flowers. Wilbur and Bobby were happy, dry insects.

They worked hard for the rest of the afternoon, making umbrellas for Alfie and all his family. By teatime they had enough to keep the whole Ant Hill dry. They put them carefully under a flowerpot before Sidney, Susan, Wilbur and Bobby said goodbye and went home.

"Now all we need is some rain, thought Wilbur.

The next morning Wilbur Worm came out of his hole and looked round the garden. It was raining! He was so excited; he couldn't wait to see what the Ants thought of the new umbrellas. He collected Bobby, Sidney and Susan, and together they headed for Ant Hill, carrying the flower pot.

When Alfie looked out of the Ant Hill and peered through the rain, Wilbur called to him.

"Alfie, come out. We've got something for you, and your family. Come and see what we've brought, he shouted excitedly.

Alfie made his way downstairs reluctantly. He didn't like the rain. He remembered how much it had hurt last time. Imagine his surprise when he opened the front door to see a worm, a beetle and two spiders each holding a beautiful, web-covered dandelion over their heads, sheltering from the rain.

"Come and try your new umbrella, said Sidney. "We all made them so that you and your family could enjoy the rain. The raindrops won't hurt you under here.

He handed an umbrella to Alfie ' who grinned widely as he clutched the stem handle and watched the rain drip off the edge of the petals, far away from his little body. He called his brothers and sisters and mum and dad who ran outside to try out their new gifts.

"Thank you so much, said Alfie. "Thank you for our beautiful, useful umbrellas and he ran out into the garden with the rest of his family, singing happily at the top of his voice. Backwards and forwards they ran, splashing in the puddles and sliding in the mud as they went about their busy business, safe and dry.

Wilbur, Bobby and the twins looked at each other and grinned as they ran off to join the splashing, happy ants.