The Butterfly

This enchanting bedtime story follows a green caterpillar who reluctantly agrees to care for a dying butterfly's eggs. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising creatures so different from herself, she seeks guidance from a lark who soars high into the mysterious blue sky. So snuggle up in your blankets and have sweet dreams. 

The music in this episode is In Light Ascending by Salt of the Sound. 

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Dreamful is produced and hosted by Jordan Blair. Edited by Katie Sokolovska. Theme song by Joshua Snodgrass. Cover art by Jordan Blair. ©️ Dreamful LLC

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:21

Welcome to Dreamful Podcast bedtime stories for slumber. In this bonus episode I will be reading the Butterfly. So snuggle up in your blankets and have sweet dreams. I love you. Let me hire you as a nurse for my poor children, said a butterfly to a quiet caterpillar who was strolling along a cabbage leaf in her odd lumbering way. See these little eggs, continued the butterfly.

Speaker 1: 1:25

I don't know how long it will be before they come to life and I feel very sick and poorly. And if I should die, who will take care of my baby butterflies when I am gone, will you kind? Mild green caterpillar. But you must mind what you give them to eat. Caterpillar, they cannot of course live on your rough food. You must give them early dew and honey from the flowers and you must let them fly about only a little way at first. And you must let them fly about only a little way at first, for of course one cannot expect them to use their wings properly all at once. Dear me, it is a sad pity you cannot fly yourself, but I have no time to look for another nurse now. So you will do your best, I hope. Dear, dear, I cannot think what made me come and lay my eggs on a cabbage leaf. What a place for young butterflies to be born upon. Still, you will be kind, will you not, to the poor little ones here, take this gold dust from my wings as a reward. Oh, how dizzy I am, caterpillar, you will remember, about the food.

Speaker 1: 2:59

And with these words, the butterfly dripped her wings and was gone. And the green caterpillar, who had not the opportunity of even saying yes or no to the request, was left standing alone by the side of the butterflies eggs. A pretty nurse she has chosen indeed, poor lady, exclaimed she, and a pretty business I have in hand. Why her senses must have left her, or she never would have asked a poor, crawling creature like me to bring up her dainty little ones. Much they'll, mind me truly when they feel the gay wings on their backs and can fly away out of my sight whenever they choose. Oh, how silly some people are, in spite of their painted clothes and the gold dust on their wings.

Speaker 1: 4:06

However, the poor butterfly was gone and there lay the eggs on the cabbage leaf, and the green caterpillar had a kind heart. So she resolved to do her best, but she got no sleep that night. She was so very anxious, but she got no sleep that night. She was so very anxious she made her back quite ache with walking all night round. Her young charges or fear any harm should happen to them. And in the morning says she to herself two heads are better than one. I will consult some wise animal upon the matter and get advice. How should a poor crawling creature like me know what to do without asking my betters?

Speaker 1: 4:57

But there still was difficulty. Whom should a caterpillar consult? There was the shaggy dog who sometimes came into the garden, but he was so rough he would most likely whisk all the eggs off the cabbage leaf with one brush of his tail. And she called him near to talk to her, and then she should never forgive herself. There was the tomcat, to be sure, who would sometimes sit at the foot of the apple tree basking himself and warming his fur in the sunshine, but he was so selfish and indifferent there was no hope of his giving himself the trouble to think about Butterfly's eggs. I wonder which is the wisest of all the animals I know, sighed the caterpillar in great distress. And then she thought and thought till at last she thought of the lark, and she fancied that because he went up so high and nobody knew where he went to. He must be very clever and know a great deal, for to go up very high, which she could never do, was a caterpillar's idea of perfect glory.

Speaker 1: 6:29

Now, in the neighboring cornfield there lived a lark, and the caterpillar sent a message to him to beg him to come and talk to her. And when he came she told him all her difficulties and asked him what she was to do to feed and rear the little creature so different from herself. Perhaps you will be able to inquire and hear something about it the next time you go up high. Observed the caterpillar timidly. Observed the caterpillar timidly. The lark said perhaps he should, but he did not satisfy her curiosity any further.

Speaker 1: 7:13

Soon afterwards, however, he went singing upwards into the bright blue sky by degrees. His voice died away in the distance till the green caterpillar could not hear a sound. It is nothing to say. She could not see him. Her poor thing. She could never see far at any time and had a difficulty in looking upwards at all, even when she reared herself up most carefully, which she did now. But it was of no use. So she dropped upon her legs again and resumed her walk around the butterfly's eggs, nibbling a bit of the cabbage leaf.

Speaker 1: 8:01

Now, as she moved along, what a time the lock has been gone. She cried at last. I wonder where he is just now. I would give all my legs to know he must have flown up higher than usual this time. I do think how. I should like to know where it is that he goes to and what he hears in that curious blue sky. He always sings, going up and coming down, but he never lets any secret out. He is very close and the green caterpillar took another turn round the butterfly's eggs. And the green caterpillar took another turn round the butterfly's eggs.

Speaker 1: 8:50

At last the lark's voice began to be heard again. The caterpillar almost jumped for joy, and it was not long before she saw her friend descend with hushed note to the garbage bed. News, glorious news, friend caterpillar, sang the lark. But the worst of it is you won't believe me. I believe everything I am told, observed the caterpillar hastily. Well then, first of all, I will tell you what these little creatures are to eat.

Speaker 1: 9:24

The lark nodded his beak toward the eggs. What do you think? It is Guess Dew and the honey out of flowers, I'm afraid, sighed the caterpillar. No such thing. Something simpler than that, something you can get at quite easily. I can get at nothing quite easily. But the cabbage leaves, murmured the caterpillar in distress. Excellent, my good friend, cried the lark exultingly. You have found it out. You are to feed them with cabbage leaves. Never, cried the caterpillar indignantly. It was their mother's last request that I should do no such thing. Their mother knew nothing about the matter, persisted the lark. But why do you ask me and then disbelieve what I say? You have neither faith nor trust. Oh, I believe everything I am told, said the caterpillar Nay. But you do not, replied the lark. You won't believe me, even about the food. And yet that is but a beginning of what I have to tell you. What caterpillar, what do you think? Those little eggs will turn out to be Butterflies, to be sure, said the caterpillar. Caterpillars, said the lark, and you'll find it out in time. And the lark flew away, for he did not want to stay and contest the point with his friend.

Speaker 1: 11:13

I thought the lark had to be wise and kind, observed the mild green caterpillar once more beginning to walk around the eggs. But I find that he is foolish and saucy. Instead, perhaps he went up too high this time. Ah, it's a pity when people who soar so high are silly and rude. Nevertheless, dear. I still wonder whom he sees and what he does of yonder. I would tell you if you would believe me. Sang the lark descending once more.

Speaker 1: 11:54

I believe everything I am told, reiterated the caterpillar, with as grave a face as if it were a fact. Then I'll tell you something else, cried the lark, for the best of my news remains behind. You will one day be a butterfly yourself, wretched bird, exclaimed the caterpillar. You jest with my inferiority Now. You are cruel as well as foolish. Go away, I will ask your advice no more. I told you you would not believe me, cried the lark.

Speaker 1: 12:41

I believe everything that I am told, persisted. The caterpillar that is, and she hesitated everything that is reasonable to believe. But to tell me that butterflies' eggs are caterpillars and that caterpillars leave off crawling and get wings and become butterflies. Pillars leave off crawling and get wings and become butterflies. Lark, you are too wise to believe such nonsense yourself, for you know it is impossible. I know no such thing, said the Lark warmly.

Speaker 1: 13:22

Whether I hover over the cornfields of earth or go up into the depths of the sky, I see so many wonderful things. I know no reason why there should not be more. Oh caterpillar, it is because you crawl, because you never get beyond your cabbage leaf, that you call anything impossible. Nonsense, shouted the caterpillar. I know what's possible and what's not possible, according to my experience and capacity as well as you do. Look at my long green body and these endless legs and then talk to me about having wings and a painted feathery coat. You would be wise, caterpillar, cried the indignant lark. Caterpillar, cried the indignant lark, do you not hear how my song swells with rejoicing as eyes were upwards to the mysterious wonder world above? Oh caterpillar, what comes to you from this? Receive as I do upon trust. That is what you call faith, interrupted the lark. How am I to learn faith? Asked the caterpillar.

Speaker 1: 14:56

At that moment she felt something at her side. She looked round. Eight or ten little green caterpillars were moving about and had already made a show of a hole in the cabbage leaf they had broken from the butterfly's eggs. Shame and amazement filled our green friend's heart, but joy soon followed, for as the first wonder was possible, the second might be so too. Teach me your lesson, lark, she would say, and the lark sang to her of the wonders of the earth below and of the heaven above. And the caterpillar talked all the rest of her life through her relations of the time when she should be a butterfly, but none of them believed her. She nevertheless had learned the lark's lesson of faith, and when she was going into her chrysalis she said I shall be a butterfly someday. But her relations thought her head was wandering and they said Poor thing. And when she was a butterfly and was going to die again, she said I have known many wonders, I have faith no-transcript.