Toby and the Wobbly Bridge

Toby the spider liked his quiet corner of the garden. He had a web beneath a broad leaf and a good view of the pond. But he never went near the old wooden bridge that crossed it.

“The wind shakes it,” he told his friend Pip, a beetle. “And the water underneath is so deep.”

One breezy morning, Pip hurried over. “My little sister is stuck on the bridge!” he cried. “She climbed onto a curled leaf, and now she’s too scared to climb down.”

Toby peeked out. Halfway across the bridge, a small beetle clung to a dry leaf. Each gust made the leaf rock. There was a gap between the boards beside it, and Toby could see water below.

“We have to help her,” Pip said.

Toby’s legs trembled. He wanted to hide under his own leaf. Instead, he followed Pip to the bridge. The boards creaked beneath them, and Toby froze.

“I’m scared,” he whispered.

“Me too,” said Pip. “Let’s go slowly.”

Together they crossed the first board. Then they crossed the second. Near the curled leaf, Toby fastened a silk thread to the wood. He carried the thread around the leaf and fastened it on the other side, holding the leaf steady.

“Now you can climb down,” Toby called.