The Mountain,
One Step at a Time

At the far edge of the Land of Letters, there stood a mountain. And at its base, on a bright blue morning, stood three friends: M, H, and W.

High at the top, something glistened in the sun.

"What IS that?" breathed H, standing on tiptoe.

"Let's find out!" said M — and took a running start. But the mountain was bumpy. M hit a bump, tumbled, and rolled. "Oof," said M, sitting in the moss.

W walked over. "The mountain is bumpy to run. Let's start slow, and take one step. Then take one more."

"That sounds too slow," sighed M.

"It is," smiled W. "That's why it works."

So the three friends started up the trail, one step at a time.

Before long, the path rose into two great rounded humps, side by side.

"These bumps look like ME!" laughed M.

And M led the way humming. Mmmm. Mmmmm.

The trail grew steeper. The friends puffed as they climbed. Hhh. Hhh. Hhh.

"That puffing sound starts with my sound!" said H. Just past the steep part stood a tall rock wall with a ladder leaning against it — two long sides and a bar in the middle. "That ladder looks like ME!" said H proudly. H climbed first.

Up and up, until the trail dipped into a deep valley, zigging down and zagging up, down and up. W stood at the edge and smiled. "This valley looks like ME."

But M's legs were tired. H's arms were tired. Even W's feet were tired. The zigzag valley looked very, very long.

"I do not think I can," whispered M.

Just then, the mailbox flag went up on a tiny mailbox by the trail. Inside, the letter U stretched and yawned.

"The vowels heard somebody needed a word," said U. "I am in every hum, you know."

So H stood first, U stood in the middle, and M stood last.

H  ·  U  ·  M HUM

And that is just what they did. The three friends hummed their way down the zigs and up the zags — one step for every hum — until the valley was behind them.

At the very top, the glistening thing was waiting. It was a mirror.

The three friends looked in, and there they saw themselves.

"Look how far we came," whispered H.

"One step at a time," said M.

"That is how big things get done," said W. "Not all at once. Just one small step, and then one more."

They walked home in the golden evening, humming all the way.