The Super Veggie Hero

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Cosmo. He had a bright smile, boundless energy, and was the absolute life of the party wherever he went. But Cosmo had one teeny, tiny problem that gave his mommy a giant headache: he really, really, really hated eating his vegetables.

Every time they sat down for dinner, a sad little pile of greens was always left behind in Cosmo's bowl. Day after day, Mommy would sit at the kitchen table and say, "Cosmo, you have to eat your veggies if you want to grow up big and tall!"

And every day, Cosmo would cross his arms, puff out his cheeks, and pout. "No way! Veggies are yucky!"

Then came a very special day: Cosmo’s fifth birthday! The house was decorated with bright balloons and colorful streamers. Right in the middle of the dining table sat a massive, gooey chocolate cake. Cosmo’s mouth watered. He grabbed his fork and was just about to dig into the frosting when Mommy gently stopped his hand.

"Hold on a minute, birthday boy," she said. "You need to finish the spinach in your bowl before you can have any cake."

Cosmo stared down at the dark, mushy green spinach, feeling his tummy twist with frustration. He thought Mommy was being so unfair. Why did she have to force him to eat gross things, especially on his birthday?

Holding his breath, Cosmo pinched his nose and somehow managed to swallow the spinach down. When Mommy finally smiled and lit the candles on his cake, Cosmo squeezed his eyes tightly shut and made his secret birthday wish. I wish Mommy would disappear, he thought, so I never, ever have to eat vegetables again!

He blew out the candles, ate his chocolate cake, and went to bed feeling very grumpy.

The next morning, Cosmo stretched his arms wide, let out a big yawn, and shouted, "Mommy, I'm hungry!"

But nobody answered. The house was completely silent. Cosmo ran to the kitchen, checked the living room, and even peeked inside the hall closet. His mommy was really gone!

Just as Cosmo was starting to panic and felt tears prickling the corners of his eyes, the doorbell rang. Standing on the front porch was a sweet-looking old lady. She had hair as fluffy and white as marshmallows, and eyes that crinkled into happy little half-moons when she smiled.

"Hello there, Cosmo," she said warmly. "From today on, I am going to be the one taking care of you, alright?"

Cosmo thought it was a little strange, but he secretly did a happy dance in his head. Hooray! he thought. As long as I don't have to eat vegetables, I don't care who takes care of me!

Cosmo followed the sweet old lady down the road to her cozy little cottage. It sat right next to a massive, sprawling garden bursting with all sorts of leafy plants.

When lunchtime rolled around, Cosmo sat at the rustic wooden table, kicking his feet happily. He was dreaming of crispy fried chicken legs or maybe a big, juicy hamburger. But when the old lady brought out the food, his jaw dropped. The first plate was stir-fried broccoli. The second plate was garlicky spinach. The third plate was a cool cucumber salad.

The entire table was covered in nothing but vegetables!

Cosmo's eyes grew wide. "Where's the meat?" he asked in shock. "Where's the fried chicken? Where are the hamburgers?"

The old lady just chuckled softly and shook her head. "Oh, I only serve the beautiful vegetables I grow right here in my garden."

Cosmo stubbornly pushed his plate away. "I won't eat it! I would rather let my tummy rumble than eat yucky vegetables!"

He marched off to bed and lay there, listening to his tummy rumble and grumble. He started to really miss the warm, delicious omelet rice his mommy usually made for him.

By nightfall, Cosmo was so hungry he could hardly stand it. His tummy was making such loud drumming noises that even the owls sitting in the trees outside could probably hear it. He was tired, he was cranky, and then... he smelled something wonderful drifting in from the kitchen. It was the sweet, cozy scent of roasted sweet potatoes.

Cosmo just couldn't resist anymore. He tiptoed to the table, picked up a piece of piping-hot sweet potato, blew on it carefully, and took a tiny bite.

"Huh?" Cosmo's eyes popped wide open. The sweet potato was soft and fluffy, and it tasted as sweet as honey! Feeling brave, he tried a bite of the stir-fried cabbage. Crunch! It was crispy, sweet, and incredibly refreshing. It wasn't gross at all!

Cosmo started gobbling up the food in big, hungry bites. He realized that if he actually took the time to taste them, vegetables were incredibly delicious! Before he knew it, he had licked every single plate completely clean.

For the next few days, Cosmo lived in the cozy cottage with the old lady. Every morning, they would go out into the garden together to water the plants and pull up fresh veggies. Watching the very seeds he helped grow turn into his lunch and dinner made Cosmo feel proud and excited.

But as the days went by, even though the vegetables were yummy, Cosmo felt a heavy, sad feeling growing in his chest. One night, he sat by the window, staring up at the silvery moon. I just wish Mommy were here, he thought to himself. I miss her warm hugs. I miss the bedtime stories she tells me. I wouldn't even care if she made me eat a hundred plates of vegetables.

Cosmo dove under his cozy quilt, crying softly into his pillow. "I don't want my birthday wish anymore," he sobbed. "I just want my mommy to come back..."

"Cosmo, rise and shine, sleepyhead! The sun is up!"

A very familiar, loving voice tickled his ears. Cosmo's eyes flew open. He was lying right in his very own bed, and Mommy was looking down at him with a soft smile, holding out his clothes for the day.

Cosmo leaped out of bed and threw his arms around his mommy, hugging her as tight as he possibly could. His eyes were red and puffy.

Mommy laughed softly and patted his back. "What's the matter, my little guy? Did you have a bad dream?"

That morning for breakfast, there was a bright green plate of stir-fried broccoli sitting on the table. Mommy opened her mouth, getting ready to remind him to take at least one bite, but before she could say a single word, Cosmo grabbed his fork. He scooped up a big pile of broccoli, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed happily.

"Wow!" Cosmo mumbled with a full mouth. "This broccoli is so crispy and yummy!"

Mommy was so shocked her jaw dropped, and her eyes grew as round as saucers. After a long moment, she let out a bright, happy laugh. "My goodness, Cosmo, you are growing up so fast! You are definitely going to grow up to be big and tall!"

From that day on, Cosmo became the family's official Super Veggie Hero. He gobbled up every last vegetable on his plate every single day. And as for the silly little boy who absolutely hated his greens? Well, he had vanished forever, leaving right along with that bad dream.