Once there was a tiny young girl with wings who was the size of a human thumb. She lived peacefully with other winged people but unlike the others she longed to see what else was beyond what she could see. Her name was Mariposa.
One day, Mariposa was flying around from flower to flower with her friends Buttercup and Firefly. Since the beginning of time, it was the ones with wings that created the magnificence that are these enchanting plants along with the ones that cause some friction with other inhabitants of the earth. But as, Grandmother Will o’ Wisp always says, “The point of the world is not always to be easy but it is meant to be kept in a balance.”
The three of them were floating around the freesias, transferring pollen to each of their respective flowers. Mariposa looks up from her sweet-smelling bellflower out to the big grassy field beyond the flora. What is out there? She wonders. Her sky-blue eyes scanned pensively. Will I find something new?
“What’s with the long face, Mari?” Buttercup called out behind her. “It’s a beautiful sunny day, the flowers are ripe, and you are wearing a frown.”
“Bumble B?” Mariposa questions. Bumble B was what everyone called Buttercup as she has a habit of dropping pollen in funny places and tripping over her own bright yellow and black wings.
“What do you think is out there?”
“Grandmother Will o’ Wisp says that it is nothing for us to worry about.” She answered her friend evenly. “So why would we want to know?”
“Your problem Mari is that you are never satisfied with what you have.” Firefly said, fluttering his thin translucent wings to reveal his shining body. “You always want more.”
“My wanting more has given me accreditation, Fire.” Mariposa countered looking over at him. “Besides, you being the reckless rebel that you are should want to understand why I would want to see what is out there.”
“I could take it or leave it.” He said waving his arm at her. “Besides I like annoying the other fays here. It is fun to watch Lily get her dander up.”
Lily was their haughty employer. Always with her nose in the air and throwing out orders like they were the nectar that they drank. But she wasn’t what was important at this moment. Right now, all Mariposa could think of was the mystery of what is out there. New discoveries were just waiting for her out there but right now she is stuck with her duties to the flowers. But what everyone doesn’t know, is that she is planning her great escape tonight when the light party is in full-swing.
*****
The flickering lights of the pixies, (Firefly included) are flying in the air in a delicate dance with soft music to go with it. It is a marvel to see, the aerial dynamics and acrobatic movements provided a show that takes the breath away of even the biggest of toads. Which means that this is the perfect moment to sneak away. She had already left a note to both Buttercup and Firefly on the bed of her plans but by the time they get it she will probably be on the other side of the world.
A smile blooms on her face as she could just picture the world at large. She can see the animals from Grandmother Will o’ Wisps stories, giants that spread out more than the eyes can see, and to taste things other than nectar from flowers. Soon she will have all of her questions answered.
Slowly she backs up away from the crowd that gathered to watch the show. She looked around and saw that nobody is noticing her go. Her smile got bigger as soon as she stepped into the shadow of the oak tree leaf. Quick as a swift bird, Mariposa takes off out of her floral town and into the world at large.
At first, she sees a sky full of twinkling lights, brighter than even the pixies. She had never seen so many of them before. Now she can truly experience them first hand instead of just tall tales.
The further into the world she went; she found her skin getting hard like an armor suddenly growing from deep within her. Her face changed into something similar a knight wearing a helmet. The strangest thing about that was she could see out all around her. So instead of looking out into the world, what she saw completely surrounded her. She didn’t question it, she just let it happen and flew where the winds took her.
She went over grassy hills, snowy mountains, and rainy patches until suddenly she came face to face with a small child. A child of what she did not know. It looked like some sort of primate with its fuzzy hair, big eyes, and waddling around on its two feet. For some odd reason it kept jumping up and reaching for her with its tiny hands. It could not grasp her.
Mariposa giggled at the creature and tried to taunt it by saying, “I’m slipping away like butter. You can’t catch me.”
But the words did not come out. She did however manage to stick her tongue out at the child and make faces at it. Without a second thought, Mariposa flew away and let the child be.
The child called out at her, repeating the words, “Butter…butter…butter…fly…fly…fly. Butterfly.”
Mariposa turned around and fluttered her wings at the child as if waving farewell to find new adventures. She wondered fleetingly if she will ever see this child again. However, something about what that child said stuck to her. It would take her until the end of her life until she realized what it was.