Walter the Compost Worm

In the corner of a large and flowery garden, there stood a rather smelly wooden compost bin. Inside this bin lived a worm whose name was Walter. All his life, he had lived here happily with his family.

They were never hungry, because nearly every day leftover kitchen scraps and sometimes garden plants and grass cuttings would be thrown in to be eaten.

But one day, Walter began to feel that life must be a little bit more exciting than just eating and sleeping. So he asked his mum and dad if the next morning he could go into the garden and explore. “Yes,” they said, “but you can only go out if it’s raining. We have to be careful of the warm sunshine; it makes us feel unwell,” they said.

That night Walter was so excited he couldn’t sleep. “Hush now,” said Granny Worm. “Little worms need their sleep so that they can grow big and strong.”

When Walter woke up next day, luck was on his side. The sky was pouring. He quickly ate his breakfast, cleaned his teeth and wiggled out through the gap at the bottom of the bin. “Wait for me,” called Mum as she wiggled out too.

Walter was amazed at what he saw. There were puddles all over the grass and huge trees which swayed with the wind. Everywhere he looked there were flowers of every colour and shape. It was a beautiful garden and it smelt wonderful. Walter and his mum wiggled around it all morning.

At midday the rain stopped and the sun appeared from behind a cloud. The children from the house decided to come out into the garden and jump in the puddles. “Walter, we need to go home now. The sun is starting to get warm and that bird sitting on the fence eats worms like us,” Walter’s mum said. So off they wiggled back to their home.

Dad and Granny Worm were really pleased to see them. “What did you think of the garden?” said Granny Worm to Walter. So he told her all about the lovely time he had had in the garden. Granny Worm smiled. “I bet you’re feeling hungry now,” she said.

“Yes, what’s for lunch?” said Walter.

“Brussels sprouts, carrots and eggshells - your favourite,” said Granny Worm, as she wiggled off to get it ready.

After lunch, Walter began to feel really sleepy and soon there came the sound of snoring. It was Walter; all that fresh air had tired him out. He slept all afternoon and all night. He was probably dreaming of his next day out.