Every morning Melvin would bound out of bed, dress, and race to the kitchen where all the yummy smells come from. He'd gulp down his breakfast because he could hardly wait another minute to jump on his shiny blue bicycle, zoom down the hill, hop off his bike, wheel it across the busiest street of all when the sign said WALK in big green letters, and race his friends to the bicycle rack at school.

It was such a good feeling to fly down the path and race his friends that he hardly wanted to stop for class; but he did. He always looked forward to the ride home along the lane in the shadow of the huge oak trees, across the busiest street of all, and up the hill to his house.

One afternoon as he was almost at the top of the hill and near his house, he saw Billy coming toward him. Billy was huge, almost twice the size of Melvin, and he always looked mean. He was used to beating up youngsters. He got into all sorts of trouble at school and was always getting sent home. Everyone was afraid of Billy. Just the other day he had hit one of Melvin's best friends and given him a black eye.

The closer Billy got to Melvin, the more frightened Melvin became. Billy yelled for Melvin to stop, but Melvin in his panic just pedaled as fast as he possibly could into his family's garage. He heard Billy yell after him, "I'll get you next time!"

As Melvin climbed the steps to his house, he was awfully upset and afraid. But as soon as he sat down in the kitchen to cookies and milk, he felt better. There was nothing for him to worry about; that big bully couldn't get him now.

The next morning Melvin sped off down the hill to school as usual. He knew Billy could never catch him on the way to school because he always went zooming down the hill on his bicycle and no one on foot could ever catch him. But that afternoon as Melvin took his bike from the rack and started home along the lane, he began to worry about whether Billy would be waiting for him at the top of the hill. Melvin couldn't go up the hill fast enough to get by Billy.

When he got to the busiest street of all, he hopped off his bike, wheeled it across when the sign said WALK in big green letters, and then started pedaling very slowly up the hill. The closer he got to the top of the hill, the more afraid and worried he got. "What if he's there waiting for me and I have nowhere to run? He's bigger and stronger than I am, much bigger. What if he beats me up and takes my bike? What will I do?" When he asked himself this question, it finally dawned on Melvin what he should do, and should have been doing, a long time ago. He should see Billy as he really is. As a Christian Scientist, Melvin knew that was a kind of prayer. It meant to see Billy mentally as God's perfect image and likeness. The Bible reads, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." ^{Gen. 1:26.} Melvin knew he had to understand Billy's real being was kind and loving. He couldn't really be a big bad bully who beats up people. So Melvin knew there was nothing for him to be afraid of.

Then Melvin looked up ahead and saw Billy on the corner. He tried to replace all feelings of fear with real love, knowing all the while that God was with him and he was not alone.

As Melvin approached he heard Billy yell, "Hey!" Melvin slowed down. He turned and saw a big grin spread across Billy's face. Melvin had never seen Billy grin like that before. "Hey, Melvin," Billy shouted, "can I come over to your house?" "Sure!" Melvin bubbled happily as he bounced off his bicycle to walk alongside Billy.

They went in through the kitchen door. The cookies had never smelled so good. The two boys sat at the kitchen table munching cookies and drinking milk. Melvin grinned with a mouthful of cookies at his new friend. And Billy grinned back.