It was raining the day Wyllie Worm Jr.'s  adventure began.  He had just awakened from a nice long snooze, tucked underneath the Aubrieta plant in the rockery garden when all of a sudden Wyllie Jr. felt the earth move from underneath him . Sensing something cold and unfamiliar, Wyllie lay very still, wondering if he was experiencing a bad dream. When the movement finally stopped, Junior as he was affectionately called by family and friends, realized his surroundings were totally unfamiliar except for the faint smell of citrus associated with visits to the household compost pile. 

Mustering the courage to investigate, Wyllie wriggled through the soft, brown soil that surrounded him until  he reached the surface. "Where could I possibly be?" Wyllie wondered. Realizing the only way to answer his question required some investigation, Junior started forth on his unplanned adventure. As he set out, Wyllie remembered the many lessons his parents had taught him about the perils that all red wrigglers faced. To keep out of the hot sun, to avoid the clutches of a hungry robin, and only to venture out onto the asphalt for a road soak in the middle of a rain storm. 

Unsure of his bearings, Junior decided it would be best to journey in the direction of the setting sun. Traveling for what seemed like an eternity, Wyllie finally reached a hard, bumpy surface which he recognized to be some sort of road. No sooner had Junior found a comfortable spot to enjoy a well-deserved road soak than he was horribly interrupted by four thundering black giants roaring past which almost crushed him. With his heart  beating frantically, Wyllie realized he could not afford to let down his guard for even one moment, so he set off to find a protected place to wait out the night.  Eventually Junior found shelter underneath a wet alder leaf  which had fallen on the road. Although he knew there was a risk of encountering more road giants, Wyllie was too tired to travel any further.

Shortly after falling asleep, Junior was awakened by the sound of a Barred Owl  swooping overhead. Wyllie cautiously peeked out from under the alder leaf to get his bearings in case a quick getaway was needed. Fortunately, the owl had no interest in eating a tired little red wriggler so Junior fell back to sleep, dreaming of a scrumptious meal of compost delights. It wasn't until the

birds started chirping that Wyllie finally wiped the sleep from his eyes. Junior remembered being told not to venture outside while the birds were searching for their morning meal, so he decided to have breakfast himself.

While waiting for a safe opportunity to continue his journey, Wyllie contemplated his predicament. Clearly the road was designed for the countless giants which zoomed past at all hours and not for misplaced little red wrigglers like himself. Oh, how he longed for the soft, damp soil of home!

Just as Junior was about to set off in search of browner pastures, he saw something move across the road and, to his sheer delight, it wasn't a dangerous road giant.  Wyllie was mesmerized by the creature's ability to jump high into the sky and before he could say "Jumping Jack Flash" he was staring into the eyes of a red-legged frog.

After a brief introduction, the frog told Wyllie of far-away lands where tall green giants smelling like citrus waved their branches in the wind and tunneled their roots deep into the earth. The stranger spoke of many creatures living in harmony throughout the standing-people forest where no road giants and abrasive paved surfaces were allowed.

Anxious to find this magical new land, Wyllie asked the frog for directions. As they departed, the stranger reminded Junior to head south and listen for sparkling water running free. Filled with renewed energy, Wyllie Jr. quickened his pace and before long he could hear the sound of running water. All of a sudden, without any warning the bumpy road surface abruptly stopped. Inching his way cautiously towards the edge, Wyllie realized he had finally reached the end of the road. With a huge sigh of relief, Junior wriggled down into the soft, moist soil and collapsed. No one knows how long Wyllie slept, only that when he awoke, Wyllie Worm Jr. was safely tucked underneath the Aubrieta plant in the rockery garden.