‘Munch, munch, munch’ The tiny caterpillar had only been a witness to the world for a mere day but it had felt like a lifetime. The beauty, and wonder, that surrounded him was something to behold. The world was enormous, and spread far beyond the tasty green leaf that he had selected for his third breakfast of the day. The sky was a perfect azure, and the grass below rivalled the leaves for their green hue. There was a light breeze passing through the boughs of the trees moving his perch to and fro. He held on tight with his abundance of legs, refusing to be thrust from his edible throne. The caterpillar marvelled at the world that he had been born into and wished upon the seedpods above that nothing would change. The sky had grown dark some time earlier, which had seemed cause for concern. His perfect world had faded for what seemed to be an eternity and the blue sky had been exchanged for black. Strange animals had passed above and below but all had kept their distance; simply passing in the night. After some time of peering into the abyss, he had become accepting of the darkness, and friends with the silver sliver which hung low in the sky. His long head had become heavy, and his eyes had pinched shut. The next thing he saw was the light returning once more to his world. The bright, warm orb was making its way back to its stately place in the sky above. As the caterpillar sat and continued to contemplate the perfection of his life, another perfect leaf caught his eye. It seemed so far away, but if he could make it there then he could taste the deliciousness of an unchewed morsel. The caterpillar made up his mind to complete the journey, bidding his current home and breakfast farewell. His journey began along a treacherous narrow stem, each step of his many legs threatening to pitch him off onto the ground below. He was not scared though, he had made friends with the ground and was sure he would be welcome to feast upon its succulent grass should they become properly acquainted. The caterpillar was almost there, only four hundred or more steps before he would be across the narrow path and set his feet upon the far broader tree limb. A dark shape caught his eye, far too close for comfort. His first glimpse was only fleeting, but as he looked around, the frightening beast came into view. It had enormous, colourful wings, which would have been beautiful if not for being the sole evil in his perfect world. Great looming white eyes shone back at him from the huge beating wings. The terrible beast flitted past him so closely he almost lost his grip. The caterpillar put all of his effort into hunkering down low and holding on tightly, fearing an attack from the brightly coloured monster. How he survived the attack, he feared he would never know, but he hoped to never be placed in the path of the terrifying, winged creature again. After what felt like an eternity the caterpillar mustered the confidence once again to continue his quest for the unadulterated snack that was within his sights. He made it with no further disruption to the trunk of the great lumbering tree that he called home before climbing to the next story of its enormous green canopy. He locked eyes with his perfect prize and crawled ever more quickly towards it. As it grew closer in his sights he saw the bright blue sky above him begin to undergo a metamorphosis; changing from brilliant clearness to raging darkness. It wasn’t a darkness such as that which had befallen him hours ago, this came with a different feeling in the air. Moments later the first explosion erupted just in front of his nose, splashing his face and body with a cool liquid. The enormous drops careened through the air, impacting the branches and leaves surrounding him. He could see his prized leaf dancing as it was pelted by the drops. His fear of the rain left him as quickly as it had come, once he realised it was actually quite pleasant; except of course for direct hits which threatened to once again unite him with the ground below. Finally, the sky cleared as he reached his destination; the unblemished dinner which was his prize for surviving another day, freshly washed by the ever-providing sky above. The caterpillar set his teeth to work, enjoying every last bite, until he could stomach no more. It had been worth the journey. Once again the sky changed from light to dark, and the night took hold of the day. The caterpillar curled up and fell asleep for the night dreaming of his next sweet bite of the leaf which formed his bed.
... Several days passed in perfect tranquillity. There had only been one more sighting of the terrifying, but beautiful, flying beast. In the distance, he could have sworn he had seen others many times as large, but surely it had merely been a trick of the eyes; nothing could possibly grow so large. Today somehow felt different for the caterpillar, his usual appetite had grown from consistent to insatiable. No matter how quickly he chewed, or how big a bite he took, there was no convincing his body that it could take no more. Something else had changed, and he could never explain it to himself. He suddenly had the urge to build himself an enclosure; how odd it would be to not sleep beneath the starlit night or bask in the warmth of the comforting sun. Just before the sun bid its farewell for the day he set to work. No one had given him instructions, nor explained the process, but almost without thinking he attached himself to the underside of his favourite leaf, or at least what was left of it. Then the shedding began. He felt his skin release from his body, covering his face and blocking out the elements beyond. Somehow it just felt right to the caterpillar, like it was somehow his destiny to live within the tiny confines of his small house. With nothing left to do except wait in the darkness, the caterpillar closed his eyes and fell asleep once more, trying not to think about the grumbling of his stomach pining for another bite of the succulent leaf beyond.
... The caterpillar had no way of knowing how long he had slept, “had it been a day, a week or a month?” He thought to himself. He had expected to feel cramped when he awoke but instead found himself somewhat free to move, but his body felt foreign to him. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he was ready to escape the confines of his enclosure and break his fast. “Something sweet,” he thought to himself before realising that he had never craved anything more exquisite than a juicy leaf. He chewed his way through, letting the light filter in the opening, and illuminate the space around him. Looking around, he couldn’t believe it. He forced his way through the opening and into the open air. Immediately he found himself fluttering around in loop-de-loops, flapping his brightly coloured wings. How could it be, that after a long nap as a humble caterpillar, he had awoken as the one thing he had feared the most. He had become a majestic butterfly, and could not believe he had ever been scared of such a beautiful insect.
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