"What's that you got there?" the lady asked the little girl.
"A butterfly. I found him trapped in the mud."
"You saved him, huh?"
"Yup. Now I'm going to feed him and play with him," the child skipped off, holding the black and white butterfly gingerly in her cupped hands.
The lady watched her turn the corner and disappear. What made children such naturally compassionate beings? So naive, so innocent, they are not yet tainted by the troubles of the world. She wished she knew their secret for it had been so very long since she felt that way herself. Turning around, she walked slowly down the dirt pathway.
A soft breeze hit her face, which made her look up towards the swaying trees. The sound of the leaves brushing ever-so-softly against each other brought a whimsical smile to her face. She was instantly brought back in time to her childhood summer days spent sitting up high on a tree branch in her backyard. Not a care in the world, it felt so easy and natural to sit up there for hours just enjoying...what exactly?
She tried hard to remember what it felt like, but nothing was coming to her. There must have been something that kept me up there for so long...what was it?! Frustration got the better of her as she tried harder and harder to bring up that old feeling.
Suddenly her foot got caught on a fallen branch, which brought her back to her immediate surroundings. Looking around, she saw a group of children playing tag on the grassy field up ahead. They ran around merrily, seeming to enjoy every second. How was this so?? She scowled at them as she walked by, not that any of them noticed... they were too busy enjoying themselves.
She walked inside her one room apartment and collapsed onto a recliner with a loud sigh. She wished she could let go of this urge to discover the secret, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about it. Going to bed that night, she still felt frustrated, confused and completely and totally sick of it all. "Why do I care so much? Why can't I just forget about it?? "
"It is you, my dear," came a voice out of nowhere.
"What?? Who's there?" Spinning around, she saw no one.
"You hold the secret. It is always with you, it has not left you. You're the one who has left. Just relax, my dear, this will all be over soon enough."
She woke up with a start, looking wearily around her apartment. It was just a dream, she thought groggily, falling back into slumber land. She awoke the next morning to the sound of a blue jay chirping on her windowsill. The sweet melody filled her ears, but she wished he would shut up or fly away. It's too early, she thought, as she dragged her aged body out of bed. She started to walk towards the kitchen for her usual cup of coffee, but something out of the corner of her eye made her stop in her tracks. She couldn't believe her eyes.
"I must still be dreaming," she said aloud, moving cautiously towards the open window. The wind had blown it open along with all the rose petals from what looked like the entire town. They covered all of the grass in the courtyard, her car, the street and all up and down the apartment complex. "What in the world?" Walking outside, she was also blown away, not by the wind which had suddenly grown still out of nowhere but by the secret that welled up inside of her.
"See, dear, like I said, it was always here inside of you. You just needed a reminder..."
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