Constance Caterpillar
Children's Story
Constance was really scared. One moment she had been quietly crawling along a branch, nibbling her way, as caterpillars do, through as many leaves as she could find, the next she had begun to feel rather heavy and very, very tired.
Constance shook herself. After all, her mother had named her "Constance" because she was always the same. She was never fast, and never slow. She spent her life humping up her back into a loop and then flattening out and sliding forward an inch or two, all the time munching any green leaves which came within her range.
It was a pleasant life, and Constance had no desire for anything different. She enjoyed the taste of green leaves, and she was very proud of the fact that she was gradually, slowly, growing bigger. If she had any ambition at all, it was to become the biggest, fattest, greenest caterpillar you ever did see.
Just when she really was growing well, this had to happen! Constance wondered whether she was ill. She never been ill before, so she didn't know what it felt like, but as well as feeling heavy and tired, Constance was beginning to be aware that she was feeling rather cold. Since she'd heard some humans muttering about "the flu", Constance wondered whether this was what had happened to her. Perhaps she had caught the flu. She examined her symptoms, and came to the conclusion they certainly were rather flu-like.
But her worry didn't last very long, for before she knew what was happening, she had fallen asleep and a kind of casing grew around her body.
It was a long, long time later that Constance awoke. But when she awoke, she was really terrified, for she found she couldn't move. The casing completely surrounded her like a kind of shell, and it was so hard that Constance was firmly imprisoned.
Constance began to struggle. She pushed and she pulled, she wriggled and she squirmed, but it seemed as though her long sleep had sapped all the strength from her body. And something funny had happened to her body, for it was no longer round and fat and green, but kind of spindly and delicate.
Constance heaved a huge sigh, for she knew she must be dying. She felt afraid, but more than that, she felt really sad that she would never again crawl along the branch of a tree and munch green leaves. She decided to try for one more, huge struggle before she finally died.
Summoning all her remaining strength, Constance gave a mighty heave. To her amazement, the outer casing began to crack, and finally burst open. Bedraggled and weak, Constance emerged from her shell-like prison and lay gasping for breath. Then, almost without her thinking about it, Constance felt a movement on the back of her body. It was a little gentle fluttering, and in a moment or two Constance found herself lifted high, high, high into the air.
She spread her wings and floated away. And she was full wonder, because what she had thought was her death, had turned out to be a wonderful new life not as a fat, green caterpillar, but as the most beautiful butterfly in the world.
Constance shook herself. After all, her mother had named her "Constance" because she was always the same. She was never fast, and never slow. She spent her life humping up her back into a loop and then flattening out and sliding forward an inch or two, all the time munching any green leaves which came within her range.
It was a pleasant life, and Constance had no desire for anything different. She enjoyed the taste of green leaves, and she was very proud of the fact that she was gradually, slowly, growing bigger. If she had any ambition at all, it was to become the biggest, fattest, greenest caterpillar you ever did see.
Just when she really was growing well, this had to happen! Constance wondered whether she was ill. She never been ill before, so she didn't know what it felt like, but as well as feeling heavy and tired, Constance was beginning to be aware that she was feeling rather cold. Since she'd heard some humans muttering about "the flu", Constance wondered whether this was what had happened to her. Perhaps she had caught the flu. She examined her symptoms, and came to the conclusion they certainly were rather flu-like.
But her worry didn't last very long, for before she knew what was happening, she had fallen asleep and a kind of casing grew around her body.
It was a long, long time later that Constance awoke. But when she awoke, she was really terrified, for she found she couldn't move. The casing completely surrounded her like a kind of shell, and it was so hard that Constance was firmly imprisoned.
Constance began to struggle. She pushed and she pulled, she wriggled and she squirmed, but it seemed as though her long sleep had sapped all the strength from her body. And something funny had happened to her body, for it was no longer round and fat and green, but kind of spindly and delicate.
Constance heaved a huge sigh, for she knew she must be dying. She felt afraid, but more than that, she felt really sad that she would never again crawl along the branch of a tree and munch green leaves. She decided to try for one more, huge struggle before she finally died.
Summoning all her remaining strength, Constance gave a mighty heave. To her amazement, the outer casing began to crack, and finally burst open. Bedraggled and weak, Constance emerged from her shell-like prison and lay gasping for breath. Then, almost without her thinking about it, Constance felt a movement on the back of her body. It was a little gentle fluttering, and in a moment or two Constance found herself lifted high, high, high into the air.
She spread her wings and floated away. And she was full wonder, because what she had thought was her death, had turned out to be a wonderful new life not as a fat, green caterpillar, but as the most beautiful butterfly in the world.
