Lumpy, the Bumpy Caterpillar

Art: Anna Lemos, 10, India

Lumpy, the bumpy caterpillar, lived in a small garden. 

The other caterpillars in the garden liked to eat and sleep. They were always hungry. They ate so much that soon the garden looked brown and bare. 

Lumpy was not like the other caterpillars. He liked to roll up into a tight ball and bump away. He wanted to see the world and have an adventure. 

One day, he bundled a few things in a cloth and walked away.

Lumpy walked and walked and walked. He crossed a dry land and came to a thick forest. He ate some fresh green leaves and went to sleep because he was tired. 

When he woke up he saw a bird, a wasp, and a beetle. They were watching him. Lumpy was frightened. As they came nearer, he rolled himself up into a tight ball. 

Suddenly, a big cat burst out from the bushes and shouted, “Keep away! This one is mine.”

The bird, the wasp, and the beetle were scared by the big cat so they went away. 

The cat touched Lumpy with her paw. Lumpy bumped away like a ball. The cat found it funny and played with him for some time. 

When Lumpy was tired of the game, he unrolled and became a caterpillar again. The cat watched him with her green eyes. 

She asked, “Who are you?”

Lumpy said, “I am Lumpy, the bumpy caterpillar.”

The cat asked, “A bumpy what?”

Lumpy said, “A bumpy cat-a-pillar.” 

The cat said, “Oh, so you are a cat too? Any cat is my friend, even one on a pillar!”

So Lumpy and the cat became good friends and had great adventures together.

(A story by Anna Lemos, Protected by Copyright, 2016)