The Caterpillar, Bumble Bee & a Pink Flower

“Zoom! Whoom! Zoom! Zoom! Wake up you little green thing. It’s past dawn now!!!” said the bumble bee; the only friend that the caterpillar had.

“What’s the buzz about Bee Bee? Let me sleep some more. I promise I will wake up shortly.”

“Bee Bee” was the nick name which the caterpillar had given to her friend the bumble bee. Their friendship was so famous within Zoya’s garden that all the tiny creatures under and above the soil knew about it. Zoya’s five year old son, Sabir was especially interested in these two creatures, because he usually saw them together. Whenever he saw them, Bee Bee was always fluttering over CP. “CP” was the nick name the bumble bee gave to the caterpillar.

“You are lazy, just so very lazy! I keep encouraging you to reach your goals but you never listen. Even when you do, you never act on my advice!!! What’s with you CP?!!!”

The poor bumble bee always used to be with the caterpillar even when most of the creatures around were busy in their daily routine tasks. The caterpillar was fat, lazy and very green. She almost looked like the leaf on which it spent its days and nights. This made it difficult to distinguish her from her surroundings. She moved slowly too but she was happy that at least she was consistent in her movements.

But bumble bee was not happy; she wanted CP to work harder and reach her most dear aim: to settle on the pink flower across the garden and eat its delicious, juicy petals.

Bee Bee asked, “CP, do you remember the pink flower?”
“Of course I do, but…”

“Stop your “ifs and buts” and start moving. You can crawl over the grass and I will guide you to the pink flower. Then you can make your new home on it. Simple as that.”

“But Bee Bee, what if someone steps over me? What if I am crushed? Or what if the crow decides to have me for his lunch? I can’t fly like you and you won’t be able to carry me with you. I am sure I can’t succeed.”

“Oh come on CP! This way you will never be able to do anything in your life. In order to succeed, you must be ready to take some risks. Fight off your fears and tell me what if no one stamps on you, nor crushes or eats you? What will happen then? Did you ever think about that?”

“Wow, do you mean to say, I could actually go live on the pink flower?”

“Of course, you can! And you can enjoy the delicious new food which I am sure will be tastier than these green leaves. But remember, the flower will not come to you. You have to go to the flower. I have seen it closely and I must tell you how lovely, amazing and soft it is. And it has a good smell. I wonder how you set your eyes upon it from such a distance.”

Sabir saw the bumble bee fluttering over the caterpillar again. He started to get angry.

“Mama, I don’t like this bumble bee. I want to kill her because she is trying to hurt my favorite caterpillar.”

His mom said, “No my dear, they are just friends. Don’t you see them playing together every day?”

Sabir was quiet but still unhappy.

“No one likes me,” CP complained to Bee Bee.

“Calm down and don’t start your meaningless ranting all over again.”

“You are my only friend here. Who else knows me?”

“Do you want the whole wide world to know you? By the way, I think that little human being really likes you. He comes around every single day. He sure is an annoying little human.”

“He! He! He! I didn’t even notice. I will try to look at him properly next time. However, I don’t think my tiny eyes will be able to see his whole being. I wish I could fly like you Bee Bee and look all around myself.”

“Be quiet will you? One more rant and I am gone from your life.”

“Sorry, I remember your lectures. At least I can crawl, right? Thanks Bee Bee for making me realize that”

“OK, I hope you remember tomorrow’s plan, right?”
“I’m excited and can’t wait.”

The next morning was to be a very special day for the caterpillar and the little bumble bee. They planned to move to the pink flower. The caterpillar would start crawling in the early dawn and the bumble bee would give her cover while she crawled as planned.

Dawn approached and the caterpillar started her journey under bumble bee’s guidance. Little did they know it would prove to be a very challenging experience for the caterpillar. Bee Bee kept encouraging CP but it did no good. Because CP grew tired and stopped right in the middle of the garden.

“It’s dangerous here. Hurry up, we are just a few flutters,…I’m sorry. I mean few steps away.”

“Oh Bee Bee, I can’t! I can’t! I just can’t!”

“Oh my dear CP, it’s almost the time for that little son of the human to come out. I am afraid he might step on you.”

“You said he likes me. He won’t kill me, right?”

“CP you are so silly. How will he even see you when your green body is lying in green grass? You must be significant and different from your surroundings to be noticed which is not the case at the moment. This makes everything all the more dangerous you know.”

“I will take a nap and be refreshed then we will move on”

“NO! Here he is. Oh my God! I don’t know what will happen now! Move! Move! Move! Hurry up!”

“Oh I am trying I am. Oh! CP moaned. My dozens of feet hurt!”

“Mama, Mama! Look here. The bee is attacking my friend!” Bee Bee tried to save CP from the possible threat of Sabir. However, she did not know the price which she was about to pay to help her friend CP reach her goal.

Little Sabir broke into tears and was very angry because of the bumble bee and her disturbing sound, like an engine of an old car. Before his mother came out to the garden, he killed the bumble bee. When she saw he was frantically stamping on the dead bumble bee she rushed to Sabir and took him inside the house.

“Mama, the bumble bee was attacking my favorite caterpillar.”

His mother angrily said, “Sabir dear, you shouldn’t have done that. They are Allah’s creatures, they have their own set of routines and they very well know how to co-exist. You should always remember that. Ask forgiveness from Allah, because you never know that little bee might have babies like you to take care of.”

Sabir was beginning to realize his mistake but now it was too late. He began his search for the caterpillar, but he could not find it anywhere.

“Bee Bee! Bee Bee!” cried CP. “Oh my God, where are you? I saw that little human grab you in his palm. That’s when I fainted. Oh my friend, I really wish if I could have helped you.” cried CP. “I am so lonely now.”

At this point CP remembered Bee Bee’s words, ‘Calm down will you? One more rant and I am gone from your life.’ CP now promised herself to never complain about anything in her life, to be always grateful for what she got, to work hard and improve things as much as she could.

Finally, CP retraced her steps by leaps and bounces and found a dark corner in the trunk of her familiar tree. There she sat and cried non-stop. She kept remembering all the words and advice which Bee Bee had given her and the way she used to encourage her. CP vowed that she would not let her friend’s advice go to waste. She would try to reach the flower one more time.

All of these thoughts made her even more sad and weak. Something strange was beginning to happen to the caterpillar. Her tears became a lot thicker and they were all around her now. She still kept crying even though it hurt her. She felt as if she was drowning in her own tears. Finally she fell into a deep sleep.

Sabir was crying a lot because his mother could not find the green caterpillar which he loved so much. She tried to convince her son that the caterpillar must have moved to a different habitat suiting her needs. She also explained to her son that a caterpillar hides and goes into a long sleep. Then it gets covered by its own liquid which is called a cocoon. It stays there for a few weeks and then comes out and becomes a new beautiful being: a butterfly.

Sabir was smiling now and said to his mother, “Mama, will the butterfly be green?”

His mother, Zoya was laughing now and said, “No my dear, but it will have all the colors nature could ever bring together in one being.”

Sabir could not wait to see his ‘caterpillar-butterfly.’ His mother promised to find him a butterfly if he never killed any other creature. Sabir happily agreed and felt sorry about killing the bumble bee.

Finally CP woke up one morning after a long deep refreshing sleep. She still remembered her friend Bee Bee but did not remember how long she was asleep. Something felt different; she felt taller, slimmer and bigger. She tried to move and break out of her tears. But they had hardened around her and formed into a cocoon. Soon she forced her way out of her cocoon and started flying. But she could hardly believe it! She flew in the direction of the pink flower and started fluttering over it happily. She was singing in the jolliest manner for her friend Bee Bee, missing her very much.

The butterfly loved the pink flower and found out from other butterflies that this flower is called “Tulip.” All the caterpillars love it very much because its petals are very delicious and juicier than other flowers on which caterpillars feed.

CP thought, “If Bee Bee had not encouraged me I would have never taken the risk and worked hard. Today I guess I have got the fruit of my labor and patience. I am beautiful. I can fly around and be on the pink flower, the Tulip.”

CP, the butterfly, saw many more flowers but the pink Tulip flower was very important to her. She now realized the blessing of having a true friend like Bee Bee. The little caterpillar was now the prettiest butterfly of the whole garden and it was not long before she had her own babies. She nestled them on the same tree she used to live on when she was a caterpillar. In a few days she saw tiny caterpillars crawl out of the tree. Now it was time for her to move away from them and let them learn their own lessons.

Sabir also found the new caterpillars quite amusing and loved them more than any other garden creature. He again found a young bumble bee hovering around these caterpillars and promised himself never to disturb them.

However, one morning the bumble bee came from a purple flower to the caterpillars and said, ““Zoom! Whoom! Zoom! Zoom! Wake up you little green things. It’s past dawn now!!!”

The caterpillars said, “What’s the buzz about bumble bee? Let us sleep some more, we promise we will wake up shortly.” These caterpillars wanted to move to the purple flower, taste it and find out what it was called. So this way the story continues. But this time, things were different since there were many caterpillars.

Keep thinking.

Epilogue

This story teaches us to be true to our friends and be by their sides in the worst of times. Always guide them just like the bumble bee called Bee Bee. Being patient and taking a few risks, helps us in achieving our goals. Trusting our friends and following their wise advice makes us stronger and helps us emerge as new better human beings just like the caterpillar. She becomes the most beautiful butterfly of the garden and never forgets her best friend Bee Bee.

We always make one special goal in our life and try to achieve it and work relentlessly toward it. When we accomplish it we realize that there are many more goals to be achieved. Just like the pink flower and many more flowers which the butterfly saw later on. It also teaches us not to interfere with nature’s laws and rules, just like little Sabir who first committed the mistake of killing the bumble bee and later felt sorry about it. However, after every difficulty there is ease and new hope, just like the new little caterpillars, the new bumble bee and the new purple flower.

By Nabila Usman