Oscar woke to a particularly dewy morning. His bed last night was a fuzzy leaf that he found during his usual evening stroll. With a good night’s sleep under his belt, he was ready for the day. The sunrise streaked the sky with light as the forest woke up. It had been a few weeks since Oscar left his family to embark on his own adventure. He was lucky to have parents who were dreamers. They wanted him to experience as much as he could as a caterpillar. There is so much to learn from the lowly perspective, they’d say. His parents shared about the parts of life they understood, the good and the difficult; and said there will be things that will never seem to make sense. Sometimes, life feels strange and even cruel. But, they urged, don’t let that cloud your awe of the world. Though his time with his parents was short, Oscar was grateful for their love and wisdom.
Since then, his experiences were beyond his wildest dreams. He traveled miles on the nose of a deer named Eugene; was held by a human, who was much larger than he’d thought! Oscar watched countless sunsets, dodged hungry birds, and had several memorable conversations with other land creatures. Humphrey, a very fat toad, taught him about weather patterns. One evening, he and a spider named Dustin stayed up late and told ghost stories. And then there was a very artistic snake named Sally who was trying to navigate life as an artist. All in all, Oscar felt like he was always exactly where he needed to be, equipped with the love of his parents.
One sunny, cool morning, he inched through the forest, humming the tune Sally taught him. He was happy, but something felt different. Could it be time? He recalled the details of what his parents referred to as metamorphosis. What a strange and magical thing! He knew his parents had been days away from their own changing the day he left. Whenever he saw a butterfly floating through the trees, he wondered if that was one of them, watching over him. His parents said, when a peculiar feeling came, he needed to find a tree or a sturdy plant to climb and rest on. The rest would happen naturally, as if he’d done it every day. His body would know what to do. There wasn’t a way to explain it other than it was part of a caterpillar’s journey. So, with all that in mind, Oscar found a bush and climbed up into it. He scooted out onto a branch and began to work. Silk came out of Oscar and started to cover his body. I’ve had such a good life as a caterpillar, he thought. Keep me safe in this covering. Thank you for bringing Humphrey, Eugene, Sally, and Dustin into my life. What an amazing beginning. Oscar sent all these thoughts up to the sky and went to sleep, ready for what happened next. And then, he fell asleep. 🐛
His dreams took him on more adventures, sailing to an island filled with exotic plants and animals and flying to a snowcapped mountaintop to see the world. When he awoke, it was dark. He felt cramped, like he needed to stretch his whole body. Slowly, Oscar began to wiggle and push. He felt a seam break and eventually pull apart. Expecting to inch onto a leaf when his body was freed, Oscar realized something. He was moving his body, but he wasn’t inching. He had wings. It happened! Just as his parents had told him. He had transformed! And now, he was a bright blue butterfly.
Oscar was a little nervous about flying. He’d only ever flown in his dreams. As he perched on the little leaf where he’d dreamed of wild adventures, he stopped. I need to take this all in, he thought. Oscar surveyed the forest around him. He smelled the dewy air; he saw a squirrel twitch her tail, running up and down a nearby tree trunk; He heard a goose honking and gliding through the sky. Then he looked back down on the ground. and saw a fuzzy caterpillar inching by. He smiled and knew he was ready.
Oscar moved his wings together, practicing the motion. Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Then, he leaped. Higher and higher he climbed. With the treetops coming into view, Oscar sang that came out of the overflow of his heart:
I’m so grateful to be me.
I used to see the world above,
Inching and exploring all there was to see.
Now I fly high,
With a Robin and a Dove,
And all I see is sky.
Oh what a joy it is, being me. 🦋