The Flying Letter Y

by Daniel Errico

Illustrated by Michiko Cayce

The Letter Y lived in the Land of Words.

He liked getting attention.

Sometimes he would make up stories to get attention.

When he was a lowercase y, he told all his friends that he was an alien from another planet.

“My antennae don’t start growing for a few more years,” he said.

He told his teacher that his homework was stolen by an international homework thief.

“He stole my backpack and took the homework.   He probably plans on selling it for millions.”

The Letter Y told everyone in town that he could turn invisible whenever he wanted.

“I’ve showed you hundreds of times,” he said, “You just couldn’t see me.”

When he grew up, he came up with grandest story ever.

He told all the other letters that he could fly.

“That’s incredible!” they said.

“It’s true,” said the Letter Y, “I can fly up to the clouds whenever I want.”

Everyone was very impressed that the Letter Y knew how to fly.

He was treated like a hero.

Then one morning, the Old Letter O’s cat ran up a tree, and he asked the Letter Y to go and get it for him.

“Will you fly up and bring my cat down for me?” he asked.

“I can’t,” said the Letter Y, “I’m allergic to cats.”  But this was a lie.

Later that day, Letter E needed help with an experiment.

“Will you fly up and put a sample of the clouds in this jar for me?” he asked.

“I can’t,” said the Letter Y, “I’m sick with the flu.”  But this was a lie.

The next morning, the entire town came to his door asking for his help.

“The Letter L’s is lost out at sea.  You have to fly over the water and find him!”

“I, um, can’t” he said, “because it’s too windy outside,” he said.

The other letters got very upset with him for not trying to help.

He had no choice but to tell the truth.

“I can’t fly,” said the Letter Y, “I made it up.”

They told him that he shouldn’t have lied.

To make it up to them, the Letter Y went out to solve their problems.

He got a ladder and brought the Old Letter O’s cat down from the tree.

He took a plane up to the clouds and filled the Letter E’s jar.

Then he went out on a boat and searched for the Letter L until he found him.

All the letters were grateful for what he had done.

They treated him like a hero, and he didn’t even have to make up a lie.

In the Land of Words, nothing good comes from a lie.