In a corner of the forest, near a wide and sparkling river, there lived a snail named Fran. Fran was small, slow, and always carried his little house on his back. Although he couldn’t run or jump like other animals, he had a big heart and a lot of curiosity about the world. His best friend was Frog, who lived on the other side of the river. But there was one problem: Fran didn’t know how to swim, and the fast-flowing water of the river scared him.
One sunny day, as he watched leaves floating on the water, Fran had an idea.
“What if I build a bridge to cross?” he said to himself, excited.
But building a bridge wouldn’t be easy. Fran decided to ask for help. First, he went to see the ants, who were very hardworking.
“Hello, ant friends,” Fran said timidly. “Could you help me build a bridge over the river?”
The ants looked at each other and then replied:
“Of course! We love big projects. We’ll bring twigs and small leaves.”
The ants quickly got to work, gathering materials. Fran helped too, though he was much slower. He dragged a leaf that seemed enormous for him, but he never gave up.
After a while, some birds who had been watching from the branches arrived.
“Hey, Fran!” the birds called out. “We want to help too. We can bring bigger and stronger leaves from the tall trees.”
The birds flew back and forth, dropping wide leaves and long twigs right where Fran and the ants were working. Little by little, the bridge began to take shape. The leaves intertwined, and the twigs formed a solid base.
Sometimes the wind would move the leaves, or the water would wash away a twig, but Fran didn’t get discouraged. If something fell, they carefully put it back in place.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes!” Fran would say. “The important thing is not to give up.”
Finally, after many days of work, the bridge was ready. It was beautiful: made of green and golden leaves, with twigs that crackled softly when someone walked across it. Fran was the first to cross it, slowly, enjoying every step.
When he reached the other side, Frog was waiting for him with a big smile.
“You did it, Fran! What an incredible bridge!”
Soon, all the animals in the forest heard about the bridge. The squirrels used it for races, the rabbits crossed it to explore new fields full of carrots, and even the deer passed over it when they wanted to discover unknown parts of the forest.
Fran was happy to have helped his friends, but what he loved most was seeing how everyone worked together. The ants kept fixing the bridge when needed, the birds watched from above, and Fran was always there to give ideas.
One afternoon, as he watched the squirrels play on the bridge, Frog said to him:
“You know, Fran, you’re a great example for everyone. Even though you’re small and slow, you’ve achieved something huge thanks to your patience and kind heart.”
Fran smiled and replied:
“I didn’t do it alone. Everyone helped me. Together we can do wonderful things.”
From then on, the leaf and twig bridge became a special place for all the animals in the forest. And even if one day the wind or rain damaged it, they always knew they could rebuild it because they had learned that, by working together, nothing is impossible.
And so, Fran remained the same slow but brave snail, proud to have shown that even the smallest can achieve great things when they have patience and good friends by their side.
End. 🐌
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