The Grasshopper and the Butterfly
The Grasshopper and the Butterfly
Once upon a time deep in the African bush there was a little grasshopper who was quietly going about his things, hopping and jumping from tree to tree, bush to bush and blade of grass to…. blade of grass. Quite content with his life albeit secretly hoping for happier times, he began exploring the world around him and paid particular attention to things that were out of the ordinary. This habit, as it turned out, was to create an experience in his life that would be so inspiring and pure that it would change him forever, and sooner than he could ever have imagined!
And so it was that one beautiful Spring morning as the dew drops each created their own pictures of nature’s splendor, the little grasshopper happened to land on the leaf that would shape his world. As the Sunlight cascaded through the low branches of the trees around him, his eyes fell upon the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. There, on the edge of the very same leaf that he sat perched upon, was a butterfly with colors more striking than any sunset, more complex than any rainbow, more defined than the noon shadows and more simple and pure than any emotion he had ever felt. As he stood there in awe of this creation, she spoke to him and her words poured over him like the freshest first rains on the parched, thirsty soil and he drank.
Now the traditional dynamics of nature dictate that a little grasshopper and a beautiful butterfly only greet each other in passing, this new found friendship had grown far beyond all traditions and stronger than any forces that the little grasshopper had ever encountered. As it turned out, the beautiful butterfly was also searching for something in her life and although the grasshopper didn’t have all the answers and also was quite unsure of what he could offer such a special individual, he was determined to show her everything he could, give her everything he had and perhaps most importantly, love sharing every experience and moment with her!
One evening as they sat on their favorite branch which hung lazily over the river just a few meters from a glorious waterfall, the grasshopper turned to the beautiful butterfly and asked her to let him take her on a journey to unexplored places and to find things that transcend Earth’s boundaries. She tuned away briefly as his heart skipped a beat then she took a step closer and said she would love to.
So off they went, side by side, hopping and fluttering about and all the while he would point out various strange creatures, unusual occurrences, and many of natures most precious creations. He showed her the dung beetles rolling their perfect balls which would provide their larvae with food and a place to stay while they developed, baby crocodiles finding protection between the deadly teeth of their mother and masked weavers making their intricate and precision crafted nests. Every minute, every hour there was something to see and something to learn from, the grasshopper was as happy as he had ever been. While the beautiful butterfly was beside herself with delight and unbounded happiness, there was a strange feeling building up inside her that was very unfamiliar and somehow strangely scary and comforting at the same time. When she was with the grasshopper, she had so many distractions that she was able to simply float along on the wave of new love and exploration but when alone at night she found herself wrestling with a million thoughts all at once.
On the one hand, she was implicitly aware of, and loving, the bond that was developing and strengthening between her and the grasshopper but on the other was the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty about an unusual and unexpected entity.
It was a cool evening when the grasshopper sat just a little closer to the beautiful butterfly and asked her to once again go against her natural instincts. This time, he asked her to prepare to stay out a little later each evening till such time as he would be able to give her his biggest message yet, one that could only be delivered in the dead of night and even without the comfort offered by the moon. Now, having formed so much trust in the grasshopper during their time together, and with the curiosity and belief that she had in the things he showed her, she immediately agreed to his request and stated that she would start right away. It should be remembered that she had never been out or even awake after the sun had set so this was in fact a very big commitment. When she saw the delight flow through his face upon hearing of her commitment, she just knew that it was the right decision.
As the sun dipped low and began to disappear, her heart beat harder and faster in her little chest, what was on the other side of the light she wondered. Sensing her discomfort, the grasshopper moved closer till they touched and immediately they were both overcome with a blanket of blissful thoughts confirming that, above all other places and things, this was where they wanted to be. The grasshopper, patiently and mindful of the fact that this trusting bond could never be compromised, slowly began showing the butterfly the world that came to life after dark. With extra care and caution he explained the night time dynamics to her and she could hardly contain her amazement.
The grasshopper knew it was time to show her the first of his valuable lessons so off they went till they came to a place where the light from the full moon leapt off the slow ripples of the river and up onto the steep river bank. There, in full view were scores of creatures that appeared so familiar to the butterfly but were somehow so different. After allowing her to take in this new sight and absorb it fully the grasshopper went on to explain that while these creatures were in appearance similar to the butterfly family, they were very different indeed, they were moths. He went on to describe the differences and showed that although they appeared to be dull looking, they too had beauty about them that was abundant even in the moonlight.
The next morning, just as he had expected, the beautiful butterfly arrived in a confused and unsettled mood. When asked, she revealed that she was now very uncertain about her place in the bush and the role she had to play. As it was clearly a very sensitive matter, the grasshopper took extra time to explain all these things to her at length. He explained that all the creatures had beauty within them but it was only a very small minority that chose to share theirs with others and it was only once this happened that true beauty could be revealed. He told her that what separated her from the moths was way beyond the physical attributes, and way beyond the obvious. It was what she had in her and what she took out of her tiny heart and offered for the use of those around her that would make her uniquely special and more loved than she had ever imagined.
And so it was that they spent more and more time together and although the long hours made the butterfly very tired, the enjoyment she experienced and the visible effects that she so obviously had on the grasshopper more than made up for it. All along though, she couldn’t shake a feeling that there was something really big that was plaguing the grasshopper and, although he never made mention of it, she was convinced.
Then the dawn of a new day and the grasshopper met her on their usual leaf and declared that the beautiful butterfly’s final and perhaps biggest lesson would be given to her tonight because, from this point on, the lessons she would learn would be self-taught. This came as a shock to the butterfly for she now felt sure that there was imminent doom that would descend on them soon. She was really upset by this news and the grasshopper also seemed to be at an all time low. She sat and wondered how it could be that from such great things could stem such sadness and even though the grasshopper held her tight, she just could not see a way out of this mood.
Then the grasshopper spoke again though his voice was strained. He spoke for a long, long time and she listened intently as he recounted their first meeting and all the adventures they had been on since then. She was truly amazed that he spared no detail and yet left nothing out, almost as though he had recorded every moment as it happened. He had.
As the evening wore on, his stories continued and she was taken back through so many special and beautiful memories that she could not help feeling better and better, even laughing heartily as some of the adventures flooded her thoughts. She wished that this would never end. Then, as though someone had turned a switch, the grasshopper became silent and the butterfly knew that it was time for her lesson.
The grasshopper turned to her and told her that she would be leaving him soon. With disbelief she protested saying how much she loved being with him and learning new things and understanding love above and beyond love but he shook his head and explained to her that her leaving him was already written in natures history book.
“You are a beautiful butterfly my love, it’s what you do.” He said.
At once she burst into tears, her heart heavy and shattered, her legs lame and the color drained from her wings. The moon was nowhere to be seen and the night was as dark as it could ever be when the grasshopper spoke again. In the absence of light the butterfly could only feel and hear the grasshopper but this seemed to make his words so much more powerful and the meaning so clear. He took her face and gently lifted it towards the sky and as she opened her eyes she saw a sight as incredible and breathtaking as anything she had ever seen. There, seemingly pointing straight at her, were millions and millions of stars, like guards looking after the world. Each night when the grasshopper had pointed the constellations to her she had loved the multitude of stars and planets but now, without the moonlight, it was truly an awe inspiring sight.
“Your last lesson is to take all the things we have done together with you now and forever and to realize your worth and value in offering enough of you to make such a meaningful impact on others. Always remember that there are things greater than us that will look after us. These stars that I have shown you will shine over you and me at all times, during the brightest day and the darkest night, and if and when the time is right, they will show you the way back to me. It is for this reason that I kept you up late at night and taught you about them. How I wish that the right time was now but it is not up to me to decide such things and so I can only hope that you take with you the memories we have created and shared and take too the wisdom and knowledge that it was only your beautiful, caring and special nature that made them all possible.”
The little grasshopper and the Beautiful Butterfly sat side by side without moving for the rest of the night till the Sandman arrived and they drifted off to sleep. They dreamed of each other and the adventures they had shared and those they wished for, the stars shone brightly over them and for that night, they were together forever.
It was very early and the sun had yet to break the surface of the horizon and breathe life into the world when the little grasshopper woke up on the leaf that he had shared with the most special individual he had ever encountered.
The Beautiful Butterfly had flown away