William was having a very grown-up day. See, today he was four! "Four is practically a teenager," he told Sophia, his pet goldfish. Sophia, wise from 54 goldfish years, just blew a bubble from her little fishy mouth.
"I'm big enough to wear a cape now!" William declared, grabbing a bright red towel. He fastened it around his neck and zoomed around the living room, pretending to fly.
"Woooosh!" He soared past the couch, "Caw! Caw!" He swooped low, mimicking his favorite bird.
Suddenly, a loud POP! came from the backyard. William stopped mid-flight. "What was that?" he whispered.
Sophia, as if sensing the adventure, started swimming in circles excitedly.
William, with the red towel still flapping behind him, tiptoed to the backdoor. He peeked outside. There, in the middle of the backyard, sat a giant, jiggling, GREEN GLOB!
"Whoa!" William gasped. The glob jiggled even harder, and then, it giggled! A sound like a hundred bells tinkling filled the air.
Carefully, William pushed the backdoor open. "H-hello?" he said.
The glob jiggled so hard it looked like it would bounce away. Then, it stretched a long, gooey arm towards William.
"Don't be scared, I'm Gleepglorp!" a squeaky voice said from inside the glob. "I'm from planet Zorp. We're learning about growing up on Earth!"
"Growing up?" William scratched his head. "Is that like getting bigger?" He puffed out his chest, trying to look as big as he could.
Gleepglorp bounced with laughter. "Well, yes! But it's also about learning and trying new things!"
William’s eyes widened. "Like flying?" he asked, pointing to his towel cape.
"Exactly!" Gleepglorp said. "Can I try?"
William hesitated. "It might be too small for you," he said. Gleepglorp, in response, suddenly shrunk until it was the size of a watermelon.
"Whoa!" William giggled. Gleepglorp, small but still wobbly, bounced over to William. He carefully draped the red towel over the glob.
"Now, flap your... um, whatever you have, like this!" William flapped his arms, showing Gleepglorp how to fly.
Gleepglorp tried to copy William, jiggling and wobbling, but it didn't quite fly. Instead, it rolled across the grass, leaving a trail of sparkly green slime.
"This is fun!" Gleepglorp squeaked, its voice muffled by the towel.
William laughed. "Being four is fun too!" he agreed. He realized being four wasn't just about being bigger, it was about trying new things, like making friends with a giggling green glob from another planet!
Suddenly, Gleepglorp stopped rolling. "Oh no," it said, its voice serious. "It's time for me to go. I have to report back to Zorp about Earth growing."
William felt a little sad. "Will you come back?"
"Of course!" Gleepglorp chirped. "Growing up is a long process, and I have a lot to learn!" Then, with a final POP!, it disappeared, leaving just a faint green shimmer in the air.
William went back inside, feeling taller than he had that morning. He told Sophia all about Gleepglorp and their adventures. Sophia, as always, listened patiently, her scales shimmering in the afternoon sun.
William knew that growing up meant there would be lots of new experiences and maybe even more visits from Gleepglorp. He couldn't wait to see what other amazing things growing up had in store!
