The Hill That Grew
About This Story
This is a story about Perseverance.
Have you ever had a big project that felt like it was taking forever to finish?
In this story, we meet a determined boy named Joey who has an unusual problem.
The Hill That Grew
One hot afternoon, Joey's mother said, "Joey, can you please move that pile of dirt? It just showed up this morning, and I need it gone."
Joey, finding his shovel, sighed. "Okay, Mom," he said, not very excited about the task but willing to help.
He started shoveling, moving dirt from the pile to a hole near the back fence. Joey shoveled and shoveled, but something strange happened. Even though he was working hard, the pile didn't seem to get any smaller, and the hole wouldn’t fill. "I've been at this for hours," Joey mumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "But the pile looks just as big, and the hole looks just as deep!"
After a while, Joey's mom came out to check on him. "Joey, why haven't you started moving the dirt yet?" she asked, looking at the large pile.
"But I have!" Joey exclaimed, showing his dirty hands and shovel. "I've been working all afternoon, but the pile won’t get smaller!"
Joey's mom noticed how tired he looked. She could see he had been working hard, even though the pile of dirt was still there. "Oh, my," she said, "you must be very thirsty. Here, have some water." She handed him a glass.
After his mom returned inside, Joey sat down, sipping his water and staring at the pile of dirt. As he watched, it seemed to grow a little before his eyes. "How is this possible?" Joey wondered.
The sun was beaming, painting the sky with bright yellow and blue. With his curious eyes fixed on the pile, Joey knew this was no ordinary pile of dirt. It was a growing hill, and over by the fence was a sinking hole!
Joey had a new plan and felt sure this would work. "That pile of dirt won't stand a chance now," Joey declared with a grin. He had upgraded his tools. This time, he had a wheelbarrow and a bigger shovel. "This will do it!" Joey said confidently, his eyes sparkling with determination.
He started moving the dirt again, and for a moment, his plan seemed to be working. The pile started getting noticeably smaller. "Yes!" Joey thought, feeling triumphant. But then, as he got his hopes up, the pile stopped shrinking. It seemed to grow back to its original size, just as big as before.
Joey couldn't believe it. "What is this?" he wondered, scratching his head in confusion. But Joey was not one to give up easily. "A pile of dirt won’t beat me!" he exclaimed.
With a new burst of determination, Joey opened the garage and pulled out his father's tractor, which was equipped with a huge scoop. "This will do it for sure," he thought. The scoop was big enough to take the whole pile at once. Joey revved up the engine, and the tractor roared to life, its engine racing as it approached the pile.
But just as he was about to start scooping, something on the very tip-top of the pile caught Joey's eye. He stopped the engine, jumped out of the tractor, and climbed to the top of the dirt pile. What he saw left him speechless.
There, jumping up and down, was a tiny little ant wearing a little hat and holding a miniature shovel. The ant seemed to be trying to get Joey's attention, and it was... talking!
"STOP, STOP," the ant pleaded. "You're going to destroy our ancient dig site. We're trying to dig up a long-lost ant city buried hundreds of years ago near the back of your yard. We're putting the dirt here while we move the artifacts to safety. You keep filling in the hole we're digging. You're working so hard filling in our hole that we had to call in three million friends to help us. When you got the tractor, we knew we couldn't keep up... you win, you win," the ant said, looking exhausted. "Please, just stop."
Joey stood there, frozen in place. An ant was talking to him, and not just any ant, but an archaeologist ant on an important mission. His mind raced with questions and wonder. A hidden city in his backyard?
After a long silence, Joey asked the Ant, “You’re going to put all this dirt back when you’re done, right?”
Then, off Joey went to take a nap.
The End
Let’s talk about the story.
In our story, Joey didn’t give up. Can you think of a time when you kept trying?
Who else didn’t give up in the story?
After you finished a big job, how did you feel?
I hope you enjoyed our story, come visit again. Goodbye.
