Christine Horner - Wondrous Willow

O NCE THERE WAS THE MOST auspicious little butterfly named Willow who lived at the edge of a lush grove o f Ponderosa P ine trees on the side of a very steep mountain.

The reason Willow considered herself lucky was that the buzz on the mountain was that though another Old World Swallowtail had once lived i n the Rocky Mountains of Colorado many generations ago , no Swallowtail had been seen since .

Sometime during the human Great Depression of the 20th century, the very last Old World Swallowtail to be recorded in the National Park was logged in a special butterfly book by a handle-bar mustached man called John and his nature-loving wife, Grace.

It wasnt that this little Swallowtail was important for being last ; it was what the Swallowtail did during his short life that made him important.

How Willow had come to be born on the side of this particular mountain was a great mystery to her. She couldnt ask her mother , for her mother had long since gone and her father had also recycled back to Creation even before her mother . Yet, she felt sure it was for a very special reason that she was there, and as she sunned herself while sitting on a Golden Curr a nt shrub , she regarded herself very seriously .

A w , geez , there she goes again, Skipper said to his friend, Percy. In the neighborhood a few days and she thinks she doesnt stink like the rest of us.

Actually, Skipper, in your case, she doesnt . said Percy. Percy usually didnt try to ma ke his friend feel badly by pointing out the obvious. (Okay, that might not be true.) After all, Skipper couldnt help that he was a malodorous baby skunk, while Percy was the most adorable of adorable little hedgehogs.

Just by virtue of his cuteness, Percy could get away with anything, and he did! Like w hen his orneriness would get the best of him and Percy just had to pour several acorn caps full of fresh rainwater down into Louis the Rattle snake s already sodden house ; o r , sometimes he couldnt help himself from using his petite hind legs to stomp and kick dirt i nto Mrs. Meekers flower bed . W ell, what was he to do?

As Louis slithered out to chastise Percy , or Mrs. Meeker twitched her whiskered nose and turn ed her long ears accusingly toward him, all he had to do was bring a twinkle to h is little black button eyes and a crooked smile to his pint-sized snout of a nose , and you know the rest.

I f that didnt work, he would tuck his diminutive cuteness into a ball of soft fur , roll ing quickly down the mountain to safety!

Skippers snuffling noises and the sound of Willows gentle voice brought Percy back from re miniscing over the good times . T he smile quickly fad ed from his usually endearing little face.

Skipper, dont cry. He didnt mean it in a bad way , reassured Willow.

Skipper shook his head , doubting Willows sincerity. He hiccupped and then said, Its easy for you. Youre so beautiful.

Something about this made Percy angry, an emot ion he wasnt used to feeling. But, since all feelings are a part of N ature, he decided to go with it.

Dont talk to Skipper like that! Percy cried his eyes suddenly ablaze . Im his friend, not you.

Skipper hiccupped again, becoming more nervous. Its what he did when he was upset. Skipper wasnt su re if he got nervous because of the hiccups or if the hiccups were what made him nervous.

Skipper appreciated Percys friendship . Truthfully, any and all friends were appreciated because its hard for skunks , which meant that he didnt want to possibly offend this potential new friend either!

Its okay, Percy. Willow didnt mean anything by it.

Come to think of it , how Percy and Skipper had become friends was nearly as mysterious as how Willow had come to live on the mountain with them . What an odd lot they were becoming! But, Skipper would have to recall that later.

Percys foot began to twitch , which was a dangerous sign meaning you never kn e w what might happen next. You! You think you are so important . Y ou dont even do... whatever it is butterflies do. You sit around on bushes preening, or near the waters edge looking at yourself all day!

It was true. Willow didnt have much interest in doing the things other butterflies did. When she thought about it much, it brought her down. How could Willow be so silly as to think herself to be important when she didnt even behave like other butterflies?