By Carolyn and Joseph Waterbury-Tieman
Once there was a snail named Slimy. He lived in a hollowed-out log in Slowtown. Slimy had a friend named Sludge. Sludge was a…well, a slug to be exact. He was not like the other snails because he did NOT have a shell. Sludge lived in a moldy, and I mean moldy, apple.
When Sludge went to snail school he was rejected by other students. He was never treated with proper respect because he didn’t have a shell. But Slimy was his best buddy. Since Sludge did not have a shell, Slimy felt sorry for him. He wanted to help Sludge find a shell. He told Sludge what he was going to do and Sludge agreed to help him on his search.
They set out on a daring mission to find a shell for Sludge. First they planned to go to the zoo to see if there were any old shells laying around. Now all of you know that snails and slugs move very, very slowly. Well these two explorers took the mud express which is a train that slides on mud to get to your destination.
They went up to the ticket counter and purchased two tickets. Then they made their way to the train. They were on their way to the zoo. When they got to the zoo they had to wait for the gates to be opened. They waited and waited. Suddenly they heard a squeak and the gates opened. They both slowly crawled through the opening and into the zoo. They found the zookeeper and asked him if there were any old shells in the zoo. The zookeeper helped them, but in all the places they looked there was no shell to be found. Just when they were ready to give up they finally spotted an old snail shell. Sludge tried to fit it on but it was way too tight. It must have been a shell from a very small snail. They thanked the zookeeper and decided to try the playground.
They didn’t find even one shell, but Slimy sees one of their classmates from school. He calls, “Hi,” to Slick and Slick says, “Hi” back.
“Want to slide down the park slide, Slimy?” Slick asked.
“Uhm, sure as long as Sludge can play ok great.” Slick answered. In school Slick was a friendly snail and he was nice to Sludge, too. The three of them played all afternoon and completely forgot to look for a shell. Suddenly, Slimy remembered, “Hey, Sludge, we forgot to look for a shell. We were having such a great time, we forgot all about it.”
Slick asked, “Why do you need a shell anyway? You’re fine just the way you are. You don’t have a shell. So what? My cousin, John, doesn’t have a shell and he is a great cousin. Even if you did have a shell it wouldn’t make you cooler or tougher. You should just be yourself. You are a great slug already. You don’t need a shell to prove it.”
Sludge finally realized maybe Slick had a point. “You’re right! I really don’t need a shell. I am fine just the way I am. I don’t need to change myself. Thanks, Slick, for helping me realize I don’t need a shell.”
The three pals got on the mud express and slid home. When Sludge got home he was so tired he went to bed early. The next day Sludge woke up and got ready for school. When he got there his two friends were waiting for him. “Hello, Sludge'” they said at the same time. They all slid to the classroom together very happily.
I hope you enjoyed this story about how important it is to be kind to your friends, or anyone for that matter, even if they are different. Remember, THINK TWICE, BE NICE!
