Lily sat at the edge of her bed, her toes curled into the rug below. Underneath her pillow, she could feel a faint wiggling—something she’d come to recognize all too well. The Worry Worm, small and blue with shimmering silver stripes, peeked out, curling around her finger as her thoughts began to race about the day ahead.
Lily hurried past her classmates, her heart fluttering like a trapped bird. The more she thought about the spelling test and lunchtime, the bigger the Worry Worm grew, its tail flicking nervously. "What if I forget everything? What if I say something silly?" she whispered, her voice barely more than a squeak.
Lily could hardly focus on her teacher’s words. Her palms grew clammy as she glanced at her friend, Emma, who sat nearby with a gentle smile and a neat braid. The Worry Worm tightened, making her chest feel heavy and her thoughts swirl.
"Lily, are you okay? You seem upset," Emma asked, kneeling beside her. Lily hesitated, glancing down at the now enormous Worry Worm. "I have this... worry worm," she admitted, voice trembling. "The more I worry, the bigger it gets, and today it’s huge."
"Let’s try breathing together," Emma suggested softly. Together, they closed their eyes, taking slow, deep breaths. The Worry Worm paused, its wiggling slowing as Lily exhaled. "You can talk to me about what’s making you worry. Sometimes, it helps to say it out loud," Emma encouraged, squeezing Lily’s hand gently.
Lily smiled, feeling lighter. "When I talk and breathe, the worry worm shrinks," she realized. She focused on her math homework, remembering Emma’s words: "Try to think about what you can do, not what you can’t." The Worry Worm gave a gentle wiggle, then settled in for a nap.
Lily took a deep breath, a soft smile on her face as she remembered the day. "I know you’ll visit again, little worry worm," she whispered, stroking its back, "but I also know you don’t have to grow so big." As she drifted off to sleep, her room felt calm, with worries small and manageable, and hope shining like the moon outside her window.
