Once upon a time there was a brick. This brick wasn't like other bricks, this brick was special. He was the eighty-first brick on a long road that everybody traveled on. He'd been stepped on by so many people he couldn't even count. This brick felt important. He made it easy for other people to travel. Horses and carts relied on him to get them where they were going. One day however, this brick was tired of just being walked on. He looked at another brick across the street, the brick he was looking at was fourth brick on the third row of a building. That other brick was holding an entire building up, and he was being stepped on. He looked on the other side of the street, there was a brick who was the fiftieth on the stairs to the court house. A lot of important people walked on her. The brick sighed a little bricky sigh to himself and wished he was more important. Then he had a fantastic idea. The brick would find something else to be! Little by little the brick wiggled and wiggled. Soon the morter around him began to shift and crumble. He rocked back and forth several times and one corner was loose. The brick dilligently kept wiggling and rocking and soon another corner was free, and then another, and then another! The brick rolled himself out of the hole he had been in for his entire life and quickly made his way to the tall building. He looked at that fourth brick on the third row who was holding up the entire building. He sighed. “What's wrong?” the fourth brick in the third row asked “I want to be important, like you” was the response “Aren't you the eighty-first brick on that main road over there?” “Yes. Well, I was anyway until a few minutes ago when I got out.” “Why did you get out?” “Because I'm tired of being trampled on!” The brick cried “I want to be special, I want to be important!” “I see.” Replied the fourth brick in the third row “I sometimes feel like that.” “Then why don't you get out?” “Because I just can't! I'm sandwiched between the fourth bricks in the second and fourth row and they won't let me out!” “That's too bad.” said the brick “I'm sorry for you.” “Don't be. It's just the way it is.” “Goodbye.” “Goodbye” The brick made his way across the street again. A small child was running and tripped over the brick who was in the middle of the road and fell to the ground. “Ouch!” The little boy said, rubbing his knee “Who would put a brick in the middle of the road?” The brick tried to apologize, but the little boy had already got up and had started running again. The brick kept moving, being careful to stay out of the way of any more people. Finally he made it to the steps of the court house. “Hello!” The fiftieth brick on the stairs said cheerily “Hello.” The brick replied sadly “Why do you sound so sad?” Asked the fiftieth brick “I want to be special and important.” “Aren't you the eighty-first brick on the busy road?” “Yes. But I don't feel very important just sitting around and being trampled on! I mean, just look at you, you're the fiftieth brick on the stairs to the court house! A lot of important people walk on you. And the fourth brick in the third row across the street holds up that entire building!” “I used to feel like that too.” She said, smiling in a way that only bricks can “Why didn't you leave?” The brick asked “Because I realised I am important, and so are you! Just look.” The brick looked at the street where he had been all his life. A cart full of melons pulled by a handsome gray horse at a lovely trot was driving down the road. When the cart got to the hole where the eighty-first brick had been the cart wheel bumped. The melons spilled all over the ground and got under a carriage with very important people inside. That cart also bumped and the wheel broke. “All this happened because you weren't there. You help the road be smooth so the carts can drive easily.” “I see what you mean.” Said the brick, ashamed “I also tripped a little boy when I was coming over here.” He admitted then started to cry. He cried sorrowful, brick tears, that would break your heart to see. “I'm sorry! I really am!” He sobbed “I didn't mean to cause all this! I realise now that I'm important too!” “Don't cry.” The fiftieth brick soothed “What's important is that you go back where you belong.” He did. Once he was back, there was never another cart wheel broken on that stretch of road. The brick felt special, he felt important, and most of all he was happy. The brick was very happy.