In a land of long ago and not so long ago, which was neither beyond seven mountains nor beyond seven valleys, but right here where you are now, lay the small but incredibly busy town of Body. It was no ordinary town. Instead of houses, it had organs; instead of streets, it had vessels; and instead of cars, millions of tiny red postmen whizzed through it.
In the very center of this town, in the most important building, lived little Pumpy the heart. Pumpy was the most diligent worker of all. He never slept, never took a break. His job was very important. Rhythmically, without stopping, he went “thump-thump, thump-thump,” and with that, he powered everything in the town. With every single thump, he sent a crowd of small, round, and always cheerful postmen on their way. They were called the Oxygens, and they were, in fact, red blood cells. In their little backpacks, they carried the most precious cargo – fresh, life-giving oxygen.
“Off you go, friends!” Pumpy called out and gave a mighty thump. “Brain House is waiting for its delivery so it can think up new ideas! And the Muscle Houses in the legs need energy for running!”
With a cheerful shout, the Oxygens set off into the wide and narrow paths of the vessels. Some ran up to the head, others all the way down to the toes. When they arrived at their destination, they delivered their package of oxygen, and the houses immediately lit up. The Brain began to sparkle with ideas, the Eyes sharpened their focus, and the Muscles flexed with joy. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine.
One day, however, Pumpy felt that something was not right. His “thump-thump” was somehow slower, more tired. “Thump... thump...” it echoed lazily through the town of Body. He looked at the Oxygens returning from their routes. They were paler and dragged their feet as if they had chewing gum stuck to them.
“What's going on?” Pumpy asked one of them, a little postman named Sparky. “Why are you so slow? Stomach House is complaining it doesn't have the strength to digest, and the Muscle Houses are completely limp.”
Sparky sighed deeply. “We can't keep up, boss. Our oxygen backpacks are somehow small, and there aren't enough of them. When we get to the oxygen factory, the Lung Houses Puffy and Breathy, we only get tiny little packages. They're barely enough for the journey itself, let alone enough to bring energy to the others.”
Pumpy grew thoughtful. This was a serious matter. If the houses didn't get enough oxygen, the entire town of Body would stop working. “We must find out why the Lungs are producing so little oxygen,” he decided. “Sparky, take a few friends and go look directly in the factory!”
Sparky nodded and, with great effort, gathered a small group of the bravest Oxygens. Their journey to the Lungs was much longer than usual. The vessel-paths were somehow constricted and sluggish. Finally, they arrived at two huge, pink buildings that resembled balloons. These were the Lungs, Puffy and Breathy. But they did not look well. Usually, they would rhythmically inflate and deflate, full of fresh air. Now, they were only swaying lazily and shallowly.
“Puffy! Breathy! What's wrong with you?” Sparky called out.
A quiet rustle came from within. “Phew... We don't... have... enough... air,” whispered Breathy. “Only small, short breaths are coming in. We can't make big, strong packages of oxygen from them. We are like a mill that has no grain to grind.”
The Oxygens looked at each other. The mystery was even greater. Why wasn't fresh air flowing into the town of Body?
They returned to Pumpy and told him everything. Pumpy thought hard again. His thumps were getting weaker. “Thump... thump...”
“This means the problem isn't with us,” Pumpy said slowly. “The problem is outside! Our owner, the great being we all live inside, must be just sitting and doing nothing. That's why their breathing is so shallow!”
“So what now?” Sparky asked desperately. “How do we tell them to start moving?”
Pumpy got an idea. It wasn't a cheerful idea, but it might work. “We have to send them a message. When all the houses get even less energy, the whole town will become very tired. This great fatigue will be our signal. It will be a signal that the Body is missing something!”
And so it happened. Pumpy slowed down even more. The Oxygens almost stopped delivering their little packages. The entire town of Body was yawning. The Brain stopped thinking, the Muscles felt like dough, and the Eyes were closing by themselves.
Suddenly, something wonderful happened. The great being, their owner, yawned and said, “Oh, I'm all stiff from sitting so long. I need to get moving!” They stood up and started to walk. Then they quickened their pace, and finally, they broke into a run outside on the grass.
In that moment, life returned to the town of Body! A huge stream of fresh air rushed into the Lungs, Puffy and Breathy. “WHOOSH!” they roared and began to inflate like the biggest balloons in the world. They immediately started packing huge, glowing packages of oxygen.
“Yippee!” shouted the Oxygens as they grabbed their full backpacks. They could feel new strength flowing into them.
Pumpy felt it immediately. With joy and new energy, he started working at full pace. “THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!” it echoed joyfully throughout the town.
The Oxygens whizzed through the vessel-paths like red lightning bolts. They delivered energy to every single corner. The Brain sparked, the Muscles tensed, and the whole body felt fresh and strong.
When everything calmed down in the evening and the owner lay down to sleep after a healthy dinner of fruit and vegetables, Pumpy thumped contentedly. He knew that his work had meaning. And the Oxygens knew that they were important postmen. They learned that for the entire town of Body to work, a diligent Pumpy was not enough. They also needed movement, so the Lungs could have enough air, and good food, so they had something to build and repair with.
“Good work, team!” Pumpy said into the silence. “A new day full of adventures awaits us tomorrow.”
And what about you, children? Try placing a hand on the left side of your chest. Do you feel that gentle tapping? That's your little heart, Pumpy, who is happy right now that you moved and breathed fresh air today. And when you run or jump, try it again. You'll see how joyfully and quickly it will thump! It's thanking you for helping it keep your town of Body healthy and cheerful.