In a grassy field, strange houses seemed to grow from the earth.

The smallest houses wore round roofs.

They looked like mushrooms growing from the earth.

Some roofs stretched wide.

They shaded the houses beneath them.

A few houses stood alone.

Others seemed to live side by side.

One house had two eyes and a mouth.

It looked as if it wanted to tell a story.

The village grew larger and larger.

Every house looked different.

There were tall houses.

There were short houses.

There were houses with a million windows.

Then everyone noticed the great house.

It stood above all the others.

A lizard sat on top.

Perhaps he was guarding the village.

From far away, the village seemed quiet.

But tiny builders moved through hidden tunnels.

Nobody saw them carrying bits of soil.

Day after day, they worked inside the houses.

The houses had not been built by people.

Termites made them from soil and water.

They were the houses that grew from the earth.