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The ButterflyThis story is inspired when I came across butterfly pictures,I remembered the Serendipity books I read to my children when they were little. This is retold in my own words from memory, I no longer have access to the books, to re-read. Many, many years ago, a caterpillar was born he lived on a tree branch with many other caterpillars. There were two other caterpillars whom he considered close friends. One day while the three friends where playing on the tree branch a butterfly flew overhead. She looked so graceful and it looked so much fun to softly float on the breeze. The little caterpillar called out to the butterfly and asked what it was like to be flying and floating around. The butterly, just smiled sweetly and said, One day you will know, be patient. The three caterpillers, on this day made a pact that whoever should be first to become a butterfly that they would tell the others what it was like. Weeks went by and it was time that the caterpillars went for their long sleep, they just knew something different was going to happen. So they nestled snug and warm into their cocoons and went to sleep, dreaming dreams only caterpillars do. At last it was time for the caterpillar awoke.. but hey the caterpillar was no longer a caterpillar, something miraculous had happened during his long sleep. He noticed he had wings, which granted were looking at present like an un-ironed shirt, but as the day got warmer and he fluttered his wings a couple of times they were soon dried out. Just then a gentle breeze came up and lifted him clean off his feet into the air. Oh what a glorious feeling this weightlessness. As he floated gently on the breeze drifting higher and higher he could look down and see other insects scurrying to and fro doing their various chores. He could see other caterpillars not yet gone into their cocoons and cocoons that had not yet opened up. One such caterpillar looked up at him with such a look of wonderment on her face, then she asked tell me what is it like? The newly formed butterfly remembered his pact with his two friends, but somehow he just could not express his new found freedom. He looked down on the little caterpillar with a gentle smile on his face and said,"one day you will know, be patient". Amanda Martin-Shaver May 2000 
Amanda Martin-Shaver |