H
ermie ran as fast as his eight legs would go. He jumped high into a pile of freshly fallen leaves. “Fall! My favorite time of year!” he said to himself as he tossed the leaves in the air. “I love the fall! I think I will make up a song about it.”
The caterpillar wriggled through the leaves and sang, Fall, fall, my favorite time. Cool, fresh air so fine. Oh, I love harvest days And piles of new-cut hay. Winds that nip Make me skip. Leaves that drop Make me smile a lot. Da da, doo dee doo, hmmm, hmmm . . .
Hermie was proud of his autumn song. “I should sing my song at the Harvest Festival. I could . . . oh no . . .” He froze in midsentence. “I promised Wormie I would help him paint the banner today! Oh my, I am really late. I hope Wormie isn’t mad.”
Hermie quickly scurried to Wormie’s house. He got there just in time to see Wormie cleaning up the paintbrushes. “Wormie, I am very sorry. I started playing in the leaves, and then I made up a song about fall and . . .”
Wormie smiled at his buddy. “Hermie, it’s okay. We all make mistakes. Friends always forgive each other. And Lucy helped me paint the banner.”
Hermie smiled back at Wormie. “Thanks for understanding. Want to hear my fall song?” Wormie nodded. “Sure! You can sing it for me while we carry the banner to the park.”
The two friends carried the folded banner as they walked down the path. Hermie sang along the way. Fall, fall, my favorite time. Cool, fresh air so fine . . .