Lily the little lavender unicorn was a sweet girl and very curious. She
was always asking her mother questions like,
"Mama, why is the
butterfly painted?" or
"Mama, where does the butterfly go?" or
"Mama,
what is in that grass over there?" or
"Mama, who is that over there
with the long ears that is going
hoppity hoppity?" or
"Mama, when are we going to
get to that lovely garden we are going to?"
Lavender,
Lily's mama, loved her dearly but she became weary of all the questions
and started to answer them with shorter and shorter answers. So the
first day Lily asked, "Mama, why are butterflies painted?" Her mama
replied, "Butterflies are painted because mother nature is protecting
them from predators. Butterflies sometimes blend into their environment
and sometimes they are painted to look like more frightening insects so
the birds will not want to eat them."
The second day Lily asked,
her mother replied, "Butterflies are painted because Mother Nature is
trying to protect them."
The third day Lily asked, her mother
replied, "Mother
Nature painted butterflies."
The
fourth day Lily asked, her mother replied, "Aren't they pretty?"
The
fifth time Lily asked, her mother replied, "Yes dear."
Lily
became confused that all the answers were different every day so she
decided to find out the answers to all her questions alone. So she asked
her mother,
"Mama? May I go exploring in the long grass?"
Her
mother replied, "Yes, dear."
Now, of course her mother did not
want Lily going exploring in the long grass. The grass was taller than
Lily and there were snakes and spiders and other animals there. There
might be rabbit holes she could fall into. She might even get lost and
go far away. But Lily's mother didn't really hear the question. She was
just saying "Yes, dear" because that is what she had been saying lately.
Lily
didn't know that so she ran off into the long grass while her mother
was busy grazing and eating clover in the meadow. She didn't really know
where to go, but just then she saw the thing with long ears that was
hoppity hoppitying and
she decided to find out what THAT was too. So off Lily galloped, after
the
hoppity
hoppity
thing. But the
hoppity
hoppity
thing was very very quick so Lily soon lost track of it and stopped to
rest.
Lily Sighed. "That
hoppity thing must be a fairy because it
disappeared
- so it must have magic." Just then she realized that the sky was gone.
All she could see was green grass all around her. Up, down, to the side
and all around. It was very strange and a bit scary. Where was the sky?
"Oh
no! The
hoppity
hoppity
fairy has stolen the sky!" she said to herself, "I must go warn the
other creatures in the meadow."
So Lily galloped through the
green grass and soon she came upon a nice big fat earthworm who was
burrowing himself in and out of the soft dirt.
"The
hoppity thing
has stolen the sky!" warned Lily.
'What is a sky?" asked the
earthworm.
So Lily went on her way.
Then Lily saw a
grasshopper. He was hopping in and out of the grass. One minute he would
disappear
and the next moment he would be on the ground again.
"The
hoppity thing
has stolen the sky!" warned Lily.
"Oh, don't worry," said the
grasshopper, "The sky comes and goes. Sometimes I see it and sometimes I
don't. It is a very silly sky. I am sure it will come back soon. See?
There it is...oops...there is goes...there it is....there it goes...."
Lily
had no idea what the grasshopper was talking about so she went on her
way.
She was running so fast she scared a butterfly out of the
meadow grass.
"Stop! Butterfly! The
hoppity thing
has stolen the sky!" Lily said.
"What? You mean if I fly up out
of this grass there will be no sky?"
"Yes, said Lily. The sky is
gone. There is no telling WHAT is out there!"
The butterfly
became very upset.
"What can we do?" He asked Lily.
"We
can find my mother," replied Lily, "She can do anything."
So the
butterfly and Lily wandered through the grass calling "
Maaaaamaaaaaa!
Maaaaamaaaaa!"
"Can
I ask you a question?" said Lily.
"Sure." said the butterfly,
who was tired of yelling "
Maaaaamaaaaa"
"Why are you
painted?"
"Oh, that is easy," replied the butterfly, "I am
painted because when I was born my mother chose the most beautiful and
fashionable clothes for me because she loves me."
'You mean it is
not to protect you against preda...preda....prediters?"
"
Whwhwhaaat are
prediters?"
asked the young butterfly.
"
Nevermind," said Lily. She had not meant
to scare him.
Suddenly they both heard a voice. It was coming
from above them, from above the grass.
"What is THAT?" asked
Lily.
"Oh. That is the wind talking." said the butterfly, "It is
saying:
Butterfly glide
On the poem
I recite
As I blow
Through
the sky.
"Wow!" exclaimed Lily. I always wondered what the wind
was saying.
Just then the wind's voice came closer and closer. It
was now saying Lily's name.
Lily ran towards the voice and the
butterfly followed her.
"Mama!" said Lily. She was so happy that
she jumped out of the grass with joy to kiss her mama on the nose.
Just
then, the butterfly, perched on her nose said, "Lily! Look! The sky is
back!"
"See? I told you my mother could do anything." Lily
replied proudly.
"Well, I need to go home to my mama too," said
the butterfly.
'Thank you for answering all my questions," said
Lily to the butterfly, "Now I know that butterflies are very
fashionable, that the
hoppity thing is an evil fairy that can
make the sky
disappear and that the green grass hides
many strange creatures. Right mama?"
But Lily's mama was just
very happy to see her and gave her a big kiss on the nose and said,
"Yes, dear."
