Courage saves the day.

Courage Saves the Day 
A short story about courage 

by Wes Fessler


When Archie was small, he was sometimes afraid.
When it came to new things, Archie often delayed.
He was careful and cautious to try something new.
There were some things that Archie was too scared to do.

His big brother and sister seemed fearless of all.
They were so big and strong, but Archie was quite small.
They learned what to expect with the passing of years,
but Archie was still young and he had a few fears. 

When they went for a climb; he decided to stop,
and his family kept going right up to the top.
They went skating outside up and down the whole street,
but poor Archie was too scared to stand on his feet. 

When they went to the pool, everyone got in fast.
But when Archie got in, time for swimming had passed.
It went on that way with some other things too.
There were some things that Archie was too scared to do. 

Then his brother and sister made fun of his fear. 
They said some mean things he did not like to hear.
They called him a "coward," and that was not fair.
Though he tried to be brave, they did not seem to care. 

When they went for a hike in the hills far away,
Archie followed behind in the usual way.
Then a growl and a bark were heard somewhere nearby.
The sound scared them so much that they started to cry. 

Archie's brother and sister were scared as could be.
Then an angry wolf appeared from behind a tree.
They ran quickly away as the wolf began chase,
but Archie did not run. He stayed there in his place! 

With an angry look, Archie showed no fear at all;
and the wolf did not think that Archie was so small.
Archie yelled at the wolf, and it turned right around.
It was so scared of him that it slipped on the ground. 

The wolf ran through the trees, quickly out of his sight.
It was then Archie knew he had done something right.
When his brother and sister saw what Archie did, 
they thought Archie was truly a courageous kid. 

They thanked Archie and told him how brave he had been.
He was big when it mattered, and now he fit in.
They did not call him names or tease him anymore.
They were patient with Archie like never before. 

Archie faced what he feared, and learned how to be strong.
He grew braver in time, and it did not take long.
Though he did not have great courage every day,
when it mattered the most, he did not run away.