WORM’S LAST HEART
When it comes to love, the right one is worth waiting for
When Worm was young, she read lots of poems. Some about friendship and some about home. But the poems Worm loved most of all were the ones about love, and she was starting to fall. She had five hearts, so she didn’t mind the risk. If love went wrong, another poem could do the trick.
The first time Worm gave her sweet heart away, she asked a firefly how long she could stay. Firefly flickered, leading Worm home, while under the moon they danced and roamed. By the time Firefly had said goodnight, away went their love in the beams of sunlight.
Worm felt sad, but not for a long while, because smiling by the creek was Mr. Crocodile. So, Worm decided to use another heart on loving someone new. It was a brand-new start. Worm tried her best, but it wasn’t meant to be. Mr. Crocodile’s smile was more of a grin, you see. So, Worm had to squirm as fast as she could away from a love that had bite though she wished she could’ve made him good. But Worm had to learn that it isn’t her job to change her love’s heart. This made her start to sob. It wasn’t long before someone new came around.
Worm soon smiled at the new love she found. One day in the grass right by her house, Worm ran into a beautiful girl named Mouse. Mouse was quite shy, and Worm’s poems made her blush. And when Worm looked at her, she knew it was more than a crush. Mouse was quite scared of falling in love. She liked to be on her own, though Worm fit her like a glove. So, they snuggled and cuddled in a fairytale way, while above them the sky was turning quite grey. Mouse became sad when it started to rain, and Worm came to learn she couldn’t take away her pain. So, the two of them went their separate ways, and Worm kept dreaming about love through all her days.
Worm was getting quite tired of all her broken hearts. But she knew love poems had a lot of di erent parts. Soon I’ll find my perfect match, she dreamed. All while her last hearts smiled and beamed, at the thought of
a love that would last forever with someone who was kind and gentle and clever.
When Snake slithered by, Worm gave him a chance. She had two hearts left and she wanted to dance. She wanted to feel like a princess or queen, and though Snake was quite handsome, he turned out to be mean. Worm was too tired to put up a fight, she didn’t want Snake’s darkness to turn out her light. Away she went with her poems and another heart broken.
Sadly, she travelled with words unspoken. All she wanted was an “I love you” but all that she had were feelings of blue. Worm sat alone in her house for a whole week, still longing for romance and maybe a kiss on the cheek.
Suddenly, she heard someone singing outside, and the sound of that voice made her smile grow wide. When she went to see who was there, she found Slug lounging in the cool, spring air. “Hi Worm!” Slug said with utter delight. “Hi Slug!” Worm replied as the sun shined bright. “I’ve been looking for you!” Slug excitedly shouted. And in that moment, Worm knew real love is never doubted. “I heard love has left you with only one heart, but I’m not sure how anyone wouldn’t love someone so smart.” Worm smiled at Slug’s kind words and replied, “That’s very sweet of you.” Worm thought she could have cried. Worm and Slug sat and talked all day long. And Worm knew she’d never felt a feeling so strong. Slug was kind and gentle and clever. And Worm knew Slug would do anything for her. “I’m short and you’re long!” Slug said through a laugh. “That must mean you’re my other half.” Worm giggled at all the silly things Slug said. And with Slug around, she knew she’d be happy for many days ahead. “I’m a little worried,” Worm confessed to Slug in fear, “I have one heart left and I hold it quite dear.” Slug understood why Worm had lost trust. Love had hurt her before, and she didn’t want to be left in the dust. “I love you” Slug said, “and we’ll be better than fine. I’ll protect your heart as if it were mine.” Slug leaned in and gave Worm a kiss, and they inched away together. In love, in bliss. ■