In a cozy little village, nestled beside a sparkling river, lived a man named Mr. Worrywart. Now, Mr. Worrywart wasn't worried about his cat chasing mice, or if his soup was too hot. Oh no, his worries were much, much bigger.

Every morning, Mr. Worrywart would wake up, peek out his window, and gasp. "Oh dear, oh dear!" he'd whisper. "What if the sky falls down today? What if the whole earth just crumbles beneath my feet?"

This big worry followed him everywhere. He couldn't enjoy his yummy noodles because he was too busy looking up, checking if the sky was still there. He couldn't sleep soundly in his comfy bed because he imagined the ground shaking and breaking apart. He'd stare at the big blue sky, his eyes wide like saucers, and tiptoe on the ground, afraid it might crack like an eggshell. His friends would see him looking pale and jumpy.

One day, his kind friend, Lily, saw him looking especially worried. "Mr. Worrywart," she asked gently, "what's troubling you so much? You look like you haven't eaten a good dumpling in days!"

Mr. Worrywart wrung his hands. "Oh, Lily! It's the sky! What if it just falls down on us? And the earth! What if it just splits open and we all fall in?"

Lily smiled a little. She was a sensible person. "The sky, my dear Mr. Worrywart," Lily said gently, "is like a giant, giant blanket of air. We breathe it all the time! It’s all around us, holding itself up. It’s not going to just plop down."

Mr. Worrywart blinked. "A blanket of air?"

"Yes!" said Lily. "And the earth," she continued, patting the ground, "is super strong and thick. It’s made of lots and lots of soil and rocks, all packed tightly together. We walk on it, build houses on it, and it holds us all up just fine. It's not going to suddenly break."

Mr. Worrywart listened very carefully. He looked up at the sky. It still looked very big. He looked down at the ground. It still felt very solid under his feet.

"Hmm," he said, "A giant blanket of air? And super strong ground?"

Lily nodded. "Exactly."

Mr. Worrywart thought for a long moment. He wasn't completely sure, but Lily sounded very sensible. Maybe, just maybe, the sky wouldn't fall today. And maybe, just maybe, the earth wouldn't crack.

That night, Mr. Worrywart ate a little more of his noodles. And he slept a little bit better, dreaming of soft air blankets and strong, steady ground. He still looked up at the sky sometimes, but his big worry started to feel a little bit smaller.

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