Paul the Pebble

The day was sunny and gorgeous, perfect for playing by the creek. Which is exactly what the little pebbles were thinking. Today they chose their favourite game — rolling down the bank straight into the water. Every pebble cheered and skipped around happily. All except for the smallest pebble, Paul, who was lying to the side, keeping to himself.

“Look, Paul, this is how you do it, you rock back and forth and then go-o-o!” Penny the pebble said, trying to encourage her faithful friend.

“Come on, stop dawdling, Paul, the water feels amazing today!” Peter urged, rolling forward.

“You look petrified,” teased his other friend, Parker.

Paul, however, just continued to watch. He liked the game his friends were playing, but he didn’t feel like doing any of those circus tricks himself.

Most of all, he liked lying on the bank of the creek and thinking about how great it must feel to be completely submerged in water and be caressed by the flowing stream. The water current carried the other pebbles further along the bank, happily tossing them about. All the pebbles had been created in the main river long ago. After all, it was the river that had smoothed and rounded them with its caresses.

Paul sighed, thinking about his unfulfilled dreams. “I wish I could be like the others. Just an ordinary, brave, solid little pebble.”

Suddenly, a strange sound caused Paul to snap out of his musings. It was Mr Shiny, the beetle, who was strutting along the bank of the creek. He wasn’t the smallest of creatures, and the stamping of his feet made quite a noise. Mr Shiny was mostly interested in the water surface and seemed to be looking for something.

Well, if I cannot be…