Inch-High Hugh

Hugh was very small. In fact, he was only an inch tall, which is only one seventieth as tall as a normal person. All of the other children were normal sized and Hugh felt out of place. Some of the others picked on him, because he was so small. He did not like being picked on, for he was a normal kid, besides his size. He was also talented at sports, but his classmates still ignored him.

Hugh thought he could perhaps fit in by joining sports. Hugh thought the swim team would be fun. He practiced and practiced everyday by swimming laps in his soup bowl, and became quite quick. But when he practiced with the other swimmers, the ripples in the pool were as big as tidal waves to him. He decided this sport was too dangerous for someone of his size.

Next, Hugh decided to try football. When he told the other children he was going to try football, they all laughed at him. They mean things like, "Hugh will never make it in football, he’ll get squashed like a bug." This didn’t stop Hugh, though. He trained for weeks and weeks. He ran laps in a gerbil wheel every day after school. He ran much faster than the others and could always get away when they chased him. When they tried to tackle him, he would just slip right under them. But no matter how much he tried, he could not pick up the football. Hugh realized that football was not for him.

Hugh decided to join the track team. "I would definitely fit in with them", he thought. But none of the other children thought he could do it. They all laughed at him when he was practicing. "He’ll just mess this up too," they said, but Hugh did not argue with them. He just decided to practice in secret, so none of the others would laugh.

Hugh realized that running was out of the question, because the other runners might step on him. He could not shot-put because the ball weighed more than him. He did not know what to do. Then one day while he was practicing, Hugh saw the pole-vaulters. He thought he could do that. Even though he was only an inch tall, he was so light that the wind could carry him up. He was too small to use a regular pole. He found a toothpick on the floor, and realized that it was just the right size.

He went to the next track meet and tried. He jumped more than seventeen feet in the air, which was a new school record. All his teammates were in awe. They lifted Hugh up into the air in celebration. They soon realized that even though he was small, he was still a good guy. Hugh made tons of new friends and lived happily ever after.