In a deep, warm, and cheerful world called Philip's Tummy, lived a tiny but very important creature. His name was Sparkle. He was no ordinary bacterium. Sparkle had an amazing ability – he could glow! When Philip was healthy, ate good things, and laughed a lot, Sparkle shone like a little star, and the whole of Tummy Town was bathed in his pleasant, golden light.
He did not live in this town alone. He had two best friends. The first was the diligent bacterium, Digesta. She was the greatest expert at processing food. When Philip ate something good, Digesta and her helpers knew how to turn it into energy for the whole body. The second was the brave Immunis. He looked like a little knight, and his job was to guard Tummy Town from anything that could harm it.
“Oh, what a wonderful day!” Sparkle rejoiced, his light spreading contentedly between the tall, pink towers called intestinal villi. They looked like soft fingers and helped to absorb all the good things from food. Digesta was just happily sorting pieces of apple, and Immunis was polishing his protective shield.
But suddenly, something unexpected happened. From above, a strange, sticky, and overly sweet avalanche began to tumble down. It was colourful candy, chocolate, and sweet raspberry soda that Philip had gotten at a friend's party. “Watch out! Sugar attack!” cried Immunis, but it was too late.
The sweet flood inundated all of Tummy Town. And with it came new, very loud, and messy inhabitants. They were the Sour-Bugs – small, angry bacteria that loved sugar above all else. As soon as they scented it, they began to dance wildly, shout, and make a mess. Everything they touched became sticky and unpleasant.
“Yahoo! More sugar! More!” they shrieked, shoving everyone they met. Sparkle watched in horror as his beautiful, peaceful town turned into a chaotic and dirty place. He felt himself growing weaker. His little light, which just a moment ago had been as bright as the sun, began to flicker and fade. The more the Sour-Bugs rampaged, the paler and sadder Sparkle became.
“We have to do something!” said Digesta with determination, hiding with her friends behind one of the villi towers. “The Sour-Bugs are destroying our home!” “I’m going after them! I’ll show them who’s boss here!” commanded Immunis, ready to charge into battle. “Wait!” Sparkle stopped him with a weak voice. His light was now just a tiny, trembling dot. “There are too many of them, and they’re full of energy from all that sugar. We are weak. Look at me, I can barely glow.”
Immunis sighed. Sparkle was right. He felt tired. Digesta was thinking. “We need help. We need the right fuel to get stronger. And we need something to clean up this mess.” “But what is it?” asked Immunis.
Just then, outside in the real world, Philip’s voice was heard: “Mummy, my tummy hurts.” His mummy stroked his head. “That’ll be from all the sweets, Philip. Let’s have something now that will help your good bacteria.”
Before long, the first help arrived in Tummy Town. It wasn’t a sweet treat, but something completely different. It was a big, crunchy piece of carrot. “What is this?” the Sour-Bugs wondered, pulling away from the orange piece in disgust. They liked sugar more.
But Digesta smiled. “Everyone, this is fibre! Our secret weapon!” she called out to the other good bacteria. “It’s the best brush for cleaning and also our favourite treat!” The good bacteria, who had been hiding until now, carefully came out. Digesta showed them how the fibre from the carrot turned into amazing brushes. Together, they began to clean the sticky walls of the villi towers. The Sour-Bugs protested, but they stood no chance against the organised clean-up. They scrubbed and ate diligently, and with every piece of fibre, they felt their strength returning.
Immunis also ate a hearty portion, and his shield gleamed once more. Sparkle’s light grew a little stronger; it no longer flickered so desperately. But it still wasn’t quite right. There were still too many Sour-Bugs.
Outside, Philip finished a glass of plain water, and then his mummy brought him some white yogurt with pieces of banana. Soon, a thick, white cloud floated into Tummy Town. From it, whole armies of new friends began to emerge. They were more good bacteria, the so-called probiotics. “Greetings! We’re here to help!” they called, and immediately got to work.
Immunis gave the command, and together with the new helpers, they began to gently but firmly show the Sour-Bugs their place. They didn’t start a fight; they simply surrounded them. The Sour-Bugs, who no longer had a new supply of sugar and found themselves in a clean environment full of strong, healthy bacteria, suddenly lost their bad mood. They realised that making a mess was no longer any fun. They lined up neatly and waited to see what would happen next.
When Digesta and her team had cleaned everything up and the new friends from the yogurt had taken their places, peace and order returned to Tummy Town.
And Sparkle? He took a deep breath of the clean air. He felt the strength from the healthy carrot and the energy from his new friends from the yogurt flowing through him. His little body began to fill with light. First, it was just a tiny spark, then a small flame, and finally, he shone as brightly and strongly as never before!
His golden light flooded all of Tummy Town. All the good bacteria laughed and danced with joy. Outside, Philip felt the pain in his tummy subsiding. Suddenly, he felt like playing again.
“Thank you, my friends,” Sparkle said happily. “We did it together.” Immunis proudly raised his shield. “Teamwork and the right food. That is the foundation of victory!” Digesta smiled. “Exactly. Every meal is like a message for our town. And today, we received the best message in the world.”
From that day on, Philip knew that sweets are fine, but only sometimes. He much preferred crunchy vegetables, sweet fruit, and creamy yogurts. And whenever he enjoyed them, he would imagine a small, brave star named Sparkle lighting up inside his tummy.
And what do you think, children? What would make your little Sparkle shine brightest today?