Book: The King and The Butterfly
Sample of a chapter from the children's book "The King and The Butterfly"
"Is she wounded? Is she sick?" asked George as he bent down for a closer look.
"I'm not sure," the King answered softly. He was nervous and there was fear in his voice. "I must move her to the castle before dark. The nights are getting cold and I can't leave her out here. Besides, we can assess her situation much better there."
The King placed his large, strong hands on either side of his ailing friend and tried to scoop her up gently into his now shaking hands. His entire body trembled with tension. Warm, salty tears began to run slowly down his royal cheeks.
Taeya's frail body rested in the warmth of the Kings cupped hands. He held them close to his chest so the wind would not harm her. With slow, steady steps, he walked towards the castle, not wanting to stumble or fall for fear of dropping his precious cargo.
George was right by his side. Walking in silence. The young boy felt a large hard lump develop in his throat just before he felt the first tear makes it's decent down his own cheek.
Once inside the castle, the King asked George to get the small, silk feather pillow and bring it to him. Cradling Taeya in his hands, he himself was not able to pick the pillow up and carry it to the table. George was not familiar with the room and started searching with his eyes for what the man needed. The King nodded by shifting his body and also moving his head in the direction until George saw the pillow the King wanted.
The pillow would provide the softest bed the King could think of for Taeya. George got it quickly and brought it over to the frightened King. He watched while the tall man next to him, ever so gently opened his hands and carefully placed the frail body of the butterfly on the fluffy pillow. George could see the concentration on the worried King's face. He also noticed that beads of sweet were breaking out on the man's forehead. The tension in the air was extremely thick!
The nervous King looked to see if a wing was broken. He examined one wing and then the next, finding nothing unusual. He tried to determine if she was sick. Neither one dared to breath because they were afraid they would blow her off the pillow or cause a draft that would make her sicker. Therefore, any time they need to breathe, they turned their heads away from the ailing butterfly.
Taeya was so weak; when she tried to get up she found she couldn't even lift her head. She wanted to talk but her voice was so soft, that the King had a hard time hearing her. He bent over the table and put his ear close to her face just in time to hear her say, "It's time for me to leave you now, my dear King. My time is up, and I must go."
"Go! Go where? Taeya you can't go! I need you with me, by my side! You are my dearest friend. I can't live without you! Taeya, my dear sweet Taeya, I love you! Do you hear me? I beg you not to leave me. I'll do anything, absolutely anything if you'll just stay."
The King was trembling. He felt so lost and scared. His heart hurt so much and he wanted the pain to go away. The loss of Taeya would be more than he could bare and he knew it.
"This is a fine castle," he stammered, choking back the tears, "and this is a fine pillow for your bed. There's no reason why you can't stay here forever. It's getting to cold for you to live in the woods. I, I, I wasn't thinking. I should have suggested this on the first cool day. Taeya, please live here and things will be fine, I swear it. We can talk and share our thoughts like we always have. It will be wonderful, and you'll get better. We'll, we'll we'll find someone," he stammered, wiping his moist cheek on the sleeve of his royal robe, sobbed, then caught his breath and continued, "I'll find someone who can make you well. I'll travel the globe for a specialist if necessary."
"I don't think that will be possible," George began, "Taeya is right. I think it is her time to go. She has to leave us soon."
"What? What is this I hear, coming from a boy I thought was my friend," the King whispered in a deep-angered voice, his lower lip trembling. He straightened his body from its bent position, turned to stare at the boy and was so upset his entire body shook.
"Taeya is a butterfly," George explained nervously, trying to be patient and understanding of the King's pain. "I just remembered reading that a butterfly will only live a very short time. No longer than one season. The season of her life is over. You are a good friend, and I truly don't want to hurt you, but I must speak the truth here. I have a feeling Taeya was trying to tell us something yesterday when she was talking about her home on the Island of Glee. We can't stop the nature of things Sire."
"No! I can't just let her go," the King exclaimed, letting out a royal sob. "I must find a way to save her. Think, George. What else did you read? Did you learn of any instance where this was not true? Perhaps the most unusual ones live longer than the others you heard about do. Certainly Taeya would fall into that category! Can't you think of anything that could possibly save a butterfly? Is there no magic, we could use for just this once? Think, George please think, we must find a way to save Taeya. We MUST!"
Taeya lay on the plush pillow, which had been placed on a table next to a comfortable overstuffed couch. On the other side of the table there was a large chair. The material on both pieces of furniture was well worn. A warm blanket lay folded on the edge of the couch. The King had recently taken it out of the hall closet with the anticipation of the colder nights ahead. The heartbroken man sat down on the couch and George took the chair. The King swung his legs up on the couch. Leaning his chest against the side of the couch, he let his arms rest on the edge of the well-worn piece of furniture. His upper body hung over the side of the couch next to the table. His elbows were bent and his hands held his head. He looked at the pillow in front of him trying hard to think of a way to save this sad situation. The man felt the first crack as his heart was beginning to break.
They had lost all track of time in the search for Taeya. The sun was almost gone and the dark of night would be upon them at any moment. It was George who finally realized how dark the room was becoming. He slowly got up and lit some candles. This gave the room a soft, warm glow.
The King wiped tears from his face, using the sleeve of his royal robe again. He got up slowly, as if he had the weight of the world to carry with him, and started a fire in the large rock fireplace. Filled with the desire to do something, the only action he could think of was to build a big fire.
Feeling stunned, lost, and consumed with grief over the thought of loosing Taeya, the King was hoping that the fire would keep her warm. Perhaps the only thing wrong with her was that she had a slight chill. The warmth of the fire might be all that was needed to bring her around. When the fire was roaring, he moved back to the couch. He plopped down into the softness of the cushions and began remembering the past spring and summer.
What fun they had all had! Every time he'd been with Taeya had been great. Their conversation was always interesting. He learned so much from her. Once, she'd been the only cheerful, colorful thing on a very dismal, depressing island. With her encouragement and guidance, things had sure turned around for the better here. The sad King was so lost in his memories, that he didn't hear George at first.
"What, was that you said, George? What?" stammered the King, pulling himself out of his memories.
"I said, I've racked my brain and I can't think of a thing that would help Taeya. I don't think anyone can stop the natural process of such things, unless we did use magic," said George.
"I would use magic, or anything else, if only I knew how." said the King in desperation.
"We wouldn't have to," exclaimed George, "if only we could find that old wizard. Let me think for a moment. When I was a baby I remember tales of an old wizard. Legend has it that a wizard used to live on this island, unless it was just a make believe story intended to help me fall asleep."
"A Wizard lives here, George! On this Island?" shouted the King jumping up off the couch. "Well, we must find him. Let's go get him George. We've got to bring him back here at once! We must hurry George! I don't know how much time we have. Taeya is so weak and she's getting weaker. Just look at her. She's your friend too George. Don't tell me you would give up on her now!"
Their tiny friend was sleeping now, but her breathing was dangerously slow.
published on 11/18/04
