The Pebble That Wanted to Be a Mountain

Chapter 1: Pip

Pip was the smallest pebble on a wide, windy beach.

At least, he was certain he was.

He lay between a shell with pink stripes and a stone shaped like a sleeping seal. He was smooth and grey, with one white line running across his middle.

When the tide came in, the water lifted him slightly.

When the tide went out, it put him down again.

That was his whole day.

Up beyond the beach stood a mountain, blue in the distance, with clouds resting around its shoulders.

Pip thought the mountain had a much better day.

It could see the sunrise before anyone else. Birds circled its slopes. Streams hurried down its sides.

People looked up and said, “What a wonderful mountain.”