Little Pea, a small green sphere, rolled merrily across the white plate. Beside him lay orange Mrs. Carrot and a golden piece of potato. The sun shone through the window onto their smooth little faces.
"What a beautiful day for lounging!" laughed Little Pea.
Suddenly, a silver giant appeared above them. It was a spoon! It scooped up Little Pea along with his friends and they flew high into the air.
"Hold on!" cried Mrs. Carrot.
They flew into a dark and moist cave. Crunch! Right next to Little Pea, two enormous white rocks landed and crushed the piece of potato.
"Ouch! Where are we?" squeaked Little Pea in fright.
"Welcome to the mouth!" boomed a deep voice. Those white rocks were teeth. "We are the Crushing Giants. We prepare you for the great journey. We must make you smaller so you can fit through the narrow tunnel."
Although the teeth looked frightening and made a lot of noise, Little Pea understood they didn't want to harm him. They were just helping him.
When the teeth finished their work, the tongue, a big and soft helper, pushed all the crushed food backward. Little Pea suddenly found himself at the beginning of a long, slippery slide.
"Wheee!" he screamed as he rushed down the dark tunnel. It was the esophagus. The journey was fast and fun. Before he knew it, he landed with a big splash in something soft and warm.
He found himself in a large sac that gently swayed. It was like being in a pool full of strange soup. This was the stomach.
"Ah, another traveler!" Mrs. Carrot greeted him, having landed a bit away from him.
Around them floated thousands of tiny pieces of food that the boy Jacob had eaten for lunch. Everything here gently mixed and swirled.
"What's happening here?" wondered Little Pea.
"Now comes the most important part," whispered wise Mrs. Carrot. "Inside each of us is hidden treasure. Strength, vitamins, and all sorts of good things. But they are locked away. These little helper drops will unlock them for us."
At that moment, tiny, almost invisible drops began to appear around them. These were gastric juices. They gently touched Little Pea and Mrs. Carrot, changing them into smaller and smaller particles. Little Pea felt something strange being released from him. It was green energy, his secret power – vitamins! It didn't hurt. It was just a strange feeling, as if he was turning into a small cloud full of goodness.
After some time, this whole mash moved on into a long and narrow tunnel that twisted like a maze. This was the small intestine. The walls of this tunnel weren't smooth. They were covered with millions of tiny projections that gently waved.
"And who are these?" asked Little Pea.
"Those are the Strength Collectors," explained Mrs. Carrot. "They're waiting for our treasure."
And indeed. As they floated by, the Strength Collectors carefully took all those released vitamins and pieces of energy from them. They took the yellow strength from Mrs. Carrot, the white strength from the potato, and, of course, the green strength from Little Pea.
"Where do they take it all?" Little Pea wondered.
"They send it throughout the boy Jacob's whole body," replied Mrs. Carrot. "Thanks to your strength, Jacob will be able to run, jump, and laugh. Thanks to my strength, he will have healthy eyes."
Little Pea suddenly felt very important. His small green sphere had become fuel for a big boy! This was an amazing mission. He wasn't just eaten, he was helping!
Little Pea and the other food remnants, having already given up all their strength, continued their journey further. They were no longer full of energy, but they were full of pride. They had fulfilled their purpose. They passed through the long large intestine and finally left Jacob's body when he went to the bathroom.
And Jacob? After a good lunch, he ran outside and played with his friends. He had lots of energy and never suspected what a great adventure Little Pea had experienced in his tummy.
Maybe you too, when you eat peas or carrots next time, will remember their brave journey. Every bite is the beginning of a wonderful story that gives you strength to grow and discover the world.