For some reason, Melvin was the only one at the school bus stop today.  There was no one to talk to and nothing to do except wait.  He swung his legs, let out a long sigh and stared at the ground. 

Melvin hated waiting and it seemed he always was. 

As Melvin looked at the ground he noticed how ancient it looked - all mottled, buckled and broken, with weeds thrusting up through the cracks.   A ladybug scurried beneath his feet and into one of them.  It seemed to just disappear.  

Curious, Melvin got down on his hands and knees and peered into the crevice.  He found the beetle working its way over and under small pebbles and weeds.  It made it's way until it found itself blocked by a line of ants carting food on their backs. Then it turned and climbed back up onto the sidewalk , trying to find its way around them. There's a whole other world down there, thought Melvin.

He wondered what it would be like, to be a beetle living in that other world that exists in the cracks of the sidewalk - a world where pebbles were boulders and weeds were trees.  He saw himself from the beetle's perspective.  Melvin was a giant!

"Hey there Melvin!  You coming to school today?" a friendly voice  interrupted.  Melvin looked up, startled. The bus driver's smiling face looked down at him. 

Later that day, when Melvin was out running errands with his mom, they ran into an old friend of hers in the parking lot and stopped to chat.  Melvin knew, this could take a while.  He wiggled and squirmed and hopped around and whined, "Mom!  Let's go Mom!"

"You're going to have to wait a minute, Melvin. I'm talking," said his mother.  

Melvin threw his head back in frustration and groaned. He stared up at the sky. There were clouds hanging way up high, seemingly still, while those closer to the ground were moving swiftly.  A chill in the air made Melvin shiver.  Branches of trees waved against a darkening sky and a single crow was being tossed about on the wind.  A storm was brewing.

Melvin wondered what it would be like, to be that bird up there, being blown to and fro.  He imagined himself flying.  He saw himself from the crow's perspective, looking down at the world below.  Melvin and the world were so small.

His mother tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on Melvin, its time to go." she said.

"Where'd your friend go Mom?" Melvin asked,  confused.

"Didn't you notice her say goodbye to us, Silly?" She tussled Melvin's hair.

At home that night, just before bedtime, Melvin called down from the top of the stairs, "Mom!  I brushed my teeth and I'm ready for my story!"

 "Alright Melvin! Hop into bed and I'll be up in just a moment," she called back.

 A moment later the phone rang and Melvin's mom answered it. 

"Oh hello, Julia," Melvin heard her say.  

Julia was Melvin's aunt.  Once again, this might take a while. Melvin would have to wait.  He snuggled down under the covers and thought about the things he'd noticed that day while he'd been waiting.  Then he gazed out his bedroom window, to see what there was to see. 

 A full moon cast a bright silvery light that shimmered on the branches of the old Elm tree.  A soft rain fell from a few scattered clouds, making the leaves of the trees glisten as they rustled in the wind.  A squirrel leaped from one tree to the next, grabbed an acorn, then darted into a hole in the tree trunk closest to his window.  He thought he heard an owl out there too, then a cricket, then several more.  The night was alive with all sorts of creatures.

Melvin thought of them out there, living their lives just outside his window.  He looked around his room and noticed a spider spinning its web along the top of his curtains.  His dog jumped up onto the bed, plopped down next to him and licked him across the face. Then his hamster took to her wheel.  His room was alive with creatures too – including himself. 

Melvin thought about his place among them, in the world they all shared, and smiled contentedly.  His mother interrupted his musings, as she perched on the edge of his bed.

"Sorry for making you wait, Melvin.  I know how much you hate waiting," she said.

"I don't mind waiting." said Melvin.

"Really?" she said, raising an eyebrow.  "Whatever made you change your mind?"

"Oh, just lots of little things."

"Well, whatever those little things were, I'm glad you noticed them," she said, then kissed the tip of nose.

"Me too," said Melvin.  Then he pulled the covers up to his chin, settling in to listen to the story.