Episode 4: The Seed That Touched the Sky
By the shore of the great underground lake, the old worm placed the small brown seed gently into Emil's hands.
"Go on," he said softly. "I think you should be the one."
Emil knelt at the water's edge, where the earth was soft and dark, and pressed the little seed down into the ground. Then, cupping his hands, he scooped up some sparkling water from the lake and poured it over the spot. Tom the scout worm fetched more in a tiny bucket, and the other worms helped too, patting the soil down kindly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then — the ground trembled.
A tiny green sprout pushed up through the earth. Emil gasped. The sprout uncurled, reached upward, and began to grow — faster and faster, thicker and stronger, stretching higher with every passing second.
"It's growing!" cried Tom, bouncing with excitement. "Look at it go!"
Up and up shot the young tree, its trunk swelling, its branches spreading wide. The worms scattered back in amazement as it rose toward the cavern roof. And then, with a mighty crack and a shower of soft earth, the treetop burst clean through the ceiling of the cave — up, up, up, all the way to the surface of the planet far above!
"Quickly!" called the old worm, his eyes shining. "Follow it up!"
Emil grabbed hold of the great trunk, and the worms wriggled up beside him. Together they climbed, higher and higher, until at last they squeezed through the hole at the top and tumbled out into the open air — onto the bright green lawn of the planet's surface, blinking in the sunlight.
And there it stood, towering above them: an enormous, magnificent tree, its branches heavy with leaves of deep green and, nestled among them, dozens of bright, shiny red apples.
"It's an apple tree!" Emil laughed.
Up the great tree they climbed, branch by branch, until they reached the very top. And there, at the highest point of all, hung the most beautiful apple Emil had ever seen — round and red and glistening in the sun.
Emil's whole face lit up. "I know what this is!" he shouted joyfully.
The worms gathered around, puzzled. "What is it?" Tom asked. "What do you mean, Emil?"
Emil reached out, plucked the shining apple, and took a big, crunchy bite.
Sweet. Juicy. Wonderful. It was the most delicious thing in the whole galaxy.
"Mmm!" Emil beamed. "You have to try this!"
The worms stared. They had never eaten an apple in all their lives. Slowly, nervously, Tom took the tiniest little nibble — and his eyes went wide as saucers.
"It's delicious!" he squealed.
Soon all the worms were munching happily, juice dribbling down their chins, laughing and cheering at the marvelous taste. They had never been so happy.
The old worm watched them with a gentle, knowing smile. "This," he said, "is how our planet looked in the very oldest days. There was not only grass back then — there were trees, too. Great green trees, just like this one. Our world was always green, little ones... but once, long ago, it was green because of the trees."
The worms looked at one another in wonder. And then, with their mouths full of sweet apple, they made up their minds.
"We must grow more trees!" they declared. "A whole world full of them!"
Emil's heart felt as warm as the sunshine. He had not only solved the mystery of the "stolen" artifact — he had helped his new friends rediscover something wonderful that their world had forgotten long ago. There could be no better adventure than that.
As the time came to say goodbye, Tom wriggled up with a big bucket brimming with shiny red apples. "For your voyages," he said. "So you'll always remember us."
Emil hugged the bucket close. Then a thought crossed his mind — a thought that had been there for a while.
"You know, Tom," he said, "I travel through space all on my own. Sometimes... it gets a little lonely up there." He smiled. "Would you like to come with me? To see the stars, and find new adventures together?"
Tom the scout worm froze. Then he wriggled with such pure joy that his little explorer's cap nearly flew off.
"Yes!" he cried. "Yes, yes, yes! I'd love to!"
And so Emil and Tom said their farewells, the worms waving and cheering beneath the great apple tree, with little green saplings already sprouting all around. The two friends climbed aboard the cozy red tomato-spaceship. The engines hummed, then glowed, then roared to life.
Bloop, bloop! With a gentle whoosh, the little ship lifted off the green lawn and soared up into the wide and waiting sky.
Two friends now, instead of one — off to wherever the stars might lead.
The journey goes on...
