One sunny morning, Philip, Lily, and Adam stood before a large door, from which clinking and quiet grunting could be heard. They were a little nervous and, at the same time, immensely curious. “Are we in the right place, Miss Jana?” Philip asked cautiously, tugging at the sleeve of his sweater. “Exactly the right place, Philip,” the teacher smiled. “This is a place for strongmen, the gym where your big brother Thomas comes to exercise.”
Adam flexed the muscles in his arm, but nothing very big appeared. “I want to be a strongman too! But how do they do it? Do they have some kind of motors in their arms?” Lily shook her head. “Motors buzz. Nothing is buzzing here.” Miss Jana crouched down to the children and whispered conspiratorially, “Today, we will uncover a great secret. The secret of what is hidden inside our bodies and helps us run, jump, and lift things.” She pulled three pairs of funny glasses with thick lenses from her bag. “These are not ordinary glasses. They are magic magnifying glasses. When you put them on, you will see things that are otherwise invisible.”
Inside, it smelled of a strange mixture of metal and effort. There were large machines and weights everywhere, and Thomas, who was just lifting a large bar above his head with a smile. The children put on the glasses in amazement. “Whoa!” Adam blurted out, looking at his own arm. “I have something in there! It’s moving!” Philip and Lily also looked at their arms and gasped. Under their skin, it was teeming with thousands of tiny, busy little figures. They looked like living red rubber bands or flexible threads that tightened and relaxed with every movement. “Those are your muscle helpers!” the teacher explained. “Every one of us has billions of them in our bodies.”
“Look!” Lily pointed to Adam’s arm, who was just trying to lift a small, one-kilogram dumbbell. “When Adam lifts, his helpers join together, pull closer, and become shorter and thicker! As if they were pulling on invisible ropes!” It was exactly so. When Adam relaxed his arm, the helpers stretched out again and rested. “And now look at Thomas,” Miss Jana guided them. The children directed their gaze to the big brother’s arm. His muscle helpers were much bigger, stronger, and there seemed to be more of them. They worked together like a well-coordinated team. “Why are his helpers so big?” Philip wondered. Thomas was just wiping his forehead and smiled at them. “Because I train them. Every time I exercise and lift something heavier, my helpers get a real workout. They get a little tired, but then, when I rest, they repair themselves and become a little bit stronger. It’s like when you’re learning to write letters. The more you practice, the better you get at it.”
“And are they ever hungry?” asked the practical Lily. “Of course!” Thomas laughed. “They need the right fuel to have energy. But they don't just like sweets. They enjoy healthy food the most – fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, or dairy products. They use these to build new and stronger fibers.” Thomas showed them his snack: a banana, a yogurt, and a whole-wheat bread roll. “This is a feast for my helpers.” “And what about sleep? Do they sleep too?” Adam was interested. “Sleep is the most important thing for them,” Thomas nodded seriously. “That’s when they have time to repair everything in peace and prepare for another day full of movement. Whoever doesn’t sleep enough has tired and weak helpers.”
The children learned so many new things! That every movement, from the blink of an eye to a run, was handled by these diligent creatures. That they need to exercise, eat well, and sleep a lot. They kept their glasses on even on the way home, fascinated, watching how the helpers in their legs worked as they walked, or in their tummies when they laughed.
A small challenge awaited them at home. Dad and Grandma stood in the garden in front of a huge clay pot with a palm tree in it, which they needed to move closer to the wall. “Phew, it’s too heavy,” Dad sighed, clutching his lower back. “I’m afraid I can’t help you much anymore, my strength isn’t what it used to be,” said Grandma sadly. Philip, Lily, and Adam looked at each other. Through the magic glasses, they saw Dad’s muscle helpers straining with all their might, but they weren’t enough for such a weight on their own. And Grandma’s helpers? They were smaller, more delicate, and tired more quickly. The children understood that Grandma was telling the truth. Her helpers had worked a lot throughout her life and now needed more rest.
“We can’t lift it with just strength,” Philip said thoughtfully. “Dad’s helpers need help. But not ours. We are still small, and our helpers could get hurt.” That was an important thought. Thomas had warned them that children must not lift things that are too heavy. “What if we used our brains?” Lily suggested. “There’s a seesaw at the playground. When someone heavier sits on one side, it easily lifts the other side into the air.” Adam’s eyes lit up. “Of course! We need a seesaw!” They ran to the shed. A moment later, they returned with a long, sturdy wooden plank and one flat but very strong stone. “Dad, let’s try it like scientists!” Philip commanded. With Dad’s help, they placed one end of the plank under the edge of the heavy pot. They positioned the stone under the plank, close to the pot. “And now, Dad, try to push down on the other, long end of the plank,” Lily instructed him. Dad pressed down on the end of the plank with doubt. And something wonderful happened! The heavy pot lifted off the ground without much effort. “Brilliant!” Dad exclaimed in surprise. “That was easy!” Through the glasses, the children saw that his muscle helpers were working, but with much less strain. A clever mind had helped them! Grandma clapped her hands. “My dear children, what inventors you are! You used a lever!”
While Dad and Grandma slowly moved the pot to its new location using the plank, the children sat down on the grass. “So, even if someone is older than us and has stronger helpers, it doesn't mean he can handle everything by himself,” Philip mused. “And while Grandma’s helpers aren’t as strong for lifting, they move around in the garden all day, so they are still in training,” Lily added, seeing Grandma bend down with a smile to a flowerbed. “And our helpers will only grow bigger!” Adam rejoiced and did ten squats. “I’ll give them a good workout, and then I’ll give them broccoli for dinner!”
In the evening, as Philip was brushing his teeth, he looked in the mirror. He no longer had the magic glasses on, but he knew they were there. His little, faithful helpers. Right now, they were helping him hold the toothbrush and smile. And he knew that at night, while he slept, they would be busy resting and repairing themselves, so they would be ready for new adventures tomorrow. And what do you think, children, what are your muscle helpers doing right this moment? Perhaps they are helping you sit comfortably and listen. Don't forget to thank them tonight with a good meal and a long sleep. They deserve it.