A spring morning had arrived, and the entire world was bright and fresh. A joyous feeling resonated in every heart. Mountains glowed off the distance as the fresh, melting snow reflected the sun's glare. It was like a faraway land, out of reach. But the familiar sound of kids playing kickball, the sound of numbers being chanted by kids playing hopscotch, and the sound of the swing screeching due to age brought me back to the playground.
On this particular day, I surveyed the ground, and a melancholy feeling washed over me, for it lacked something I was searching for.
"Where could they be?" I wondered. I continued to scour the dirt. Nothing. "The roly-polys have been wiped off the face of the planet!" I cried out in disbelief. Pill bugs, with their many legs together with plates lined across their gray backs, are adorable creatures. Somehow, to my mind, these friends are not repulsive—as most insects are—but rather cute in the way someone sees a puppy.
With an irritated sigh, I unraveled myself and readjusted my posture. My eyes squinted behind my bulky glasses. I had never looked through them so harshly for something so small as a roly-poly, for these little insects were usually easy to find. I pulled down my glasses and looked them over before pushing weeds and grasses out of the way. Yet, nothing could be found. And so, I gave up on my adventure of finding roly-polys.
But no less than a minute or two later, I forgot all about my troubles and woes. It was not because I had a more significant problem to deal with, but rather something else pushed the idea out of thought and presented a newer and grander conquest. This new interest was collecting rocks. Ultimately, there was no particular reason why I suddenly became interested in collecting rocks. Anything can be interesting and amusing if you believe it to be.
As I examined pebbles and judged them for their beauty in the grass, I moved towards the concrete sidewalk beside a long building of classrooms. That sidewalk had a roof, which shaded my schoolmates as I walked across the long open hallway. There was a small meadow on the other side of the hallway, where a chain fence peered towards a neighborhood.
Then I curiously studied the ground.
As the sidewalk asphalt became concrete, and the roof covered the sunlight, I noticed a small divide in the concrete path—a gap between concrete slabs. It is a wonder to me why I stopped to inspect that tiny crevice. Multiple other gaps continued along this path. And my eyes scanned the tiny weeds and various pebbles hidden in this crevice. Nothing noticeable appeared until I realized what was inside that crevice. Oh, how much joy I felt at that moment! I felt what an astronomer feels when they discover a new planet.
"Roly-polys!" I gasped.
These little creatures have been a delight to find for as long as I can remember. As a child, I always searched for bugs to pass the time. As a result, I found a deep fascination in inspecting these creatures. They are so minuscule—that many steps on them without noticing—but intelligent beings with their personalities. Roly-polys, for one, have always had a special place in my heart. Their small, adorable forms can be seen crawling on the pavement in the early spring when nothing but childlike wonder is in the air. As their little legs rhythmically move across the ground, their antennas can be seen moving in the air. One simply cannot feel threatened by a roly-poly; it rolls up into a ball when threatened, and its soft and round appearance makes it appear friendly. When I see roly-polys, it is like approaching a sleepy puppy; it moves slowly but curiously with innocence. They make me happy.
A feeling came over me as I walked by that crack on the sidewalk. The end of the shade and the beginning of the sunlight above are like a light switch for playtime. However, while many children ran past me to go to the playground, I stayed by that in-between, for that inconspicuous gap in the pavement revealed a haven for roly-polys. Although it may seem childish and strange, it was a magical place for me. She discovered beauty in that unexpected minuscule crevice across the path.
—Written by Ancheska Balbalosa
Ancheska loves to read historical fiction and the classics. Besides reading, she enjoys drawing, listening to music, watching theater shows, and playing sports. She hopes to have a career related to the arts in the future.
—Michael Baradi, Young Adult Librarian, Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library