Crystal's Crazy Crazes

Meela couldn’t believe this was happening to her.  She only needed one more week until she could turn into a beautiful butterfly.  Now she couldn’t even get food to eat.  She guessed she could crawl to get her food, but it just took to much energy, and most of the leaves were too high for her to eat.  All the good leaves anyways.  If she ate the dirty and yucky leaves on the bottom, then she’ll never turn into a beautiful butterfly, maybe just a crippled one.  She shuddered just to think about it.

“Oh no, what should I do?”  Meela whined.

“What?’ Auga asked innocently.  She was chewing on a green leaf. 

“My magic’s gone!”  Auga’s tiny mouth dropped.  Everyone around them stopped chewing.  Meela felt miserable.  Slither was gone and was nowhere to be found.  He was probably laughing right now with her magic, doing evil things Meela could not comprehend. 

“What should I do?”  Meela cried.  Suddenly, everything froze around her.  It was frightening.  Everyone around her just stopped.  Stopped eating, stopped breathing.  The wind even stopped blowing and all the leaves stood still.

Imma stood before her, in all her green glory.  Somehow, she shone and looked like she was exhibiting all the colors of the rainbow, and that wasn’t possible until you were a butterfly, and sometimes the butterflies were not even as brilliant as Imma before her.  A talisman appeared before Meela and Imma spoke.

“Do you wish to get your magic back?”  Imma whispered.  Meela was speechless.  Of course she wanted her magic back!  She thought it was a pellucid fact; something that was as clear as day.  Meela mustered up a nod.

“Then,” Imma continued in her soft dulcet voice, “You must find the axiom that will unlock the secret of your heart; and only then can you get your magic back.” 

“But where can I find that… axiom?”  Meela meekly asked. 

“In an atelier!  There, you shall find a peremptory artist who will expect you to do things for him right away.  Finish three tasks and he will reward you.”  And with that last bit of mysterious instruction, Imma raised her talisman and transported Meela into another realm…

Meela dropped in front of a beautiful brass door.  It had intricate archaic carvings on the sides and a big angel in the front.  Meela never saw anything like it; it looked so old and outdated and precious at the same time.  Am I in caterpillar heaven? Meela thought.  But no, she remembered Imma saying something about an artist…

The brass door swung open and a perspicacious blue bird appeared.  “Come in,” he said gruffly.  The blue bird had glasses and looked as if he lived through most of history itself.  Maybe someone as smart and as old as him can tell Meela the secrets of her heart…  Meela crawled in the room.  The blue bird’s atelier was huge and it had a cold beauty to it.  Everything was sharp and pristine.  Meela gulped and usurp her voice and asked, “Um, what do you want me to do?”

The blue bird spun around and stared her down.  Meela cowered.   “These caterpillars and their whiny questions!  I want my magic back. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You think I care about your magic?  If there were less butterflies and their superficial beauty flying around, the world would be a better place!”  And with that, the blue bird continued walking toward the other side of the room.  She didn’t know why this patronizing bird was being so mean.  Obviously, he had never lost his magic.   Meela felt as if she came here just to be a scapegoat for the blue bird’s frustrations.  Maybe that was her first task…

“Okay,” the blue bird was saying roughly, “Your first job for me is to expurgate those giraffes from my atelier; they are driving me nuts!”  And he stormed away into another room and slammed the door.  Meela heard pencil scratching on paper and wondered what the blue bird was sketching. 

Meela looked around.  She didn’t see any giraffe; maybe the bird’s old age finally made him crazy.  It was a possibility.  Meela sat there for a while, listening to the classical sounds of the breeze, its dulcet chimes pulling her into a daydream.  Just as she was falling into a sweet lumber, big thumping noises awoke her. 

There were giraffes everywhere!  They were not doing anything harmful; they were just stomping around the place.  Meela looked nervously to the door; she was afraid the blue bird would come back out and start screaming at her.  But he didn’t come out, and for that, she was grateful.

She stared up the giraffe’s long graceful necks.  Now that she looked closer, she realized they weren’t randomly stomping around.  They were dancing.  “Um, excuse me guys,” Meela said meekly.  They didn’t hear her.  “GUYS!  MAY I HAVE YOUR HUMBLE ATTENTION PLEASE?” 

They all turned to look at her.  Meela suddenly turned shy.  But she reminded herself she needed to turn into a butterfly.  “Um, can you not dance here please?  Blue Bird needs to concentrate.  You know, it’s rude to dance in someone’s atelier.”  The giraffe turned to each other, shrugged, and left.  Wow, that was simple.  Meela thought.  With her first task finished, Meela felt more confident that she was going to get her magic back in no time.

But, ten minutes passed and Blue Bird still did not come back out.  Meela felt her stomach whine in protest.  Caterpillars weren’t abstemious creatures; they needed to eat constantly to keep up their strength.  Just when Meela thought she was going to pass out from the hunger, Blue Bird came back out.

“Oh good, you got rid of those pesky creatures.  Wanted to draw them once and they wouldn’t leave,” he mumbled.  “Here is your second task, get rid of this,” and Blue Bird threw her some green luscious leaves.  Meela was grateful for the food, and happy that the task was so simple!  Just as she was going to bite into the leaves, she heard a groan.  She looked and in a corner and saw a weak browning caterpillar that she didn’t notice before. 

“May you be so kind as to share your leaves with me?”  The dying caterpillar coughed.  Meela looked at her pile of leaves.  There wasn’t enough for two!  And Meela was so hungry!  Her thoughts vacillated between giving up her lunch and helping the poor caterpillar.  If she helped the caterpillar and gave him her leaves, then she would be hungry, and might not have enough strength to finish her last task.  But if she didn’t help the poor caterpillar out, her iniquity would haunt her forever.  Finally, she decided to give up her leaves.  Anyhow, her task was to get rid of the leaves; he didn’t mention how. Plus, Meela figured once she got her magic back, she would have all the leaves she could get. 

The caterpillar ate quickly and greedily.  When he was done, a burst of bright light filled the room and blinded her.  In the caterpillar’s place was a beautiful butterfly with intricate patterns on his wings.  “Thank you for you kindness,” he said, and he flew out the window and into the clouds. 

Huh, Meela thought.  Interesting.  Somehow, Meela didn’t feel hungry anymore either.  She also felt as if she was glowing, something that happened when magic was at its peak level…

(To be continued with next week’s vocabulary words…)

Vocabulary

1. talisman- noun: a magic charm
2. pellucid- adj: something that is clear or transparent
3. dulcet- adj: something that is pleasing to the ear
4. axiom- noun: universal truth
5. atelier- noun: an artist’s or designer’s workshop
6. peremptory- adj: expecting to be obeyed immediately
7. archaic- adj: old, outdated
8. perspicacious- adj: mentally sharp or clever
9. usurp- verb: to seize power
10. patronizing- adj: acting superior
11. scapegoat- noun: one who bears the blame for others
12. expurgate- verb: to remove objectionable material
13. abstemious- adj: consumes sparingly
14. vacillate- verb: to fluctuate or to waiver; to be indecisive
15. iniquity- noun: an evil or wicked act

Meela was a caterpillar.  A big fat green caterpillar.  She lived in a land where magic ruled and where every caterpillar waits for the day when they can turn into a big beautiful, colorful butterfly, just like their parents.  After their metamorphosis from ugly caterpillar to beautiful butterfly, they have carte blanche to perform any kind of magic they want.  Right now, all the caterpillars’ magic was restricted to making food appear.

“Food, green beautiful food, please appear for me to eat,” Meela said.  She heard some snickers from her caterpillar sisters and brothers.  Her incantations were never the best.  She was never creative enough to make better magic spells or even make them rhyme like everyone else.  Poof!  Green leaves appeared before her and she started gnawing on them.  Well, her spells never got her the best leaves, but they worked.

“Hey, Meela, aren’t you ever going to graduate from those baby spells?”  Sigma called out.  Sigma was a contemptuous butterfly who always thought he was better than everyone else.  His comment stung Meela to her green skin, but she put on a nonchalant appearance so she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her hurt.  She continued eating her green leaves.

“Hey Meela, are you also deaf?” called out Sigma.  He was provoking her.  Meela tried her hardest to remain indifferent.

“Cool it, Sigma.”  Auga said.  “Can’t you see Meela doesn’t want a donnybrook?  Not everyone wants a fight all the time like you.”  Sigma stuck out his small green tongue at her.

“Thanks Auga,” Meela said gratefully.

“Hey, what are best caterpillars for?  I’m tired of doing magic for now.  Let’s move over to that rife branch with those juicy green leaves?”  Meela and Auga slowly inched to the next branch.  The branch was overflowing with dark green leaves, Meela’s favorites.  She started on a leaf and savored its green taste.

Suddenly, the sky turned a stygian color.  The blue beautiful day turned to gray and an ominous color of red.  Every caterpillar looked up and even Sigma looked scared.  Then just as suddenly as it came, the sky turned back to big and blue.  The only vestige that proved that the caterpillars didn’t imagine the sky changing color was that more leaves appeared on everyone’s branches.  Then, everyone knew what happened.

“It must have been Imma,” Meela whispered with awe.  Imma was a cosmopolitan caterpillar.  She performed the best magic and was the biggest and greenest caterpillar in all the land.  She was also very generous.  Everyone said that when she turned into a butterfly, she would be as bright and as colorful as the sun.  Even though Imma was the most respected and most popular caterpillar, she was never an interlocutor. She never participated in any conversations, and instead of making her look like a stuck-up, it gave her an air of mystery.

Meela and Auga chewed happily on the gift Imma had given them all.  An electric pulse passed through Meela.  She looked up and saw Slither the snake hanging from the branch above her.  Meela nudged Auga and they slowly inched away, trying not to be seen.  Slither was a horrible creature; he was a brigand. It was rumored that he would steal anything, even a caterpillar’s magic.  No one liked to be around him.

Slither’s friend Em was even worse.  Em was generally harmless, but always liked to argue with the caterpillars.  One time, Meela made the mistake of talking to him and somehow the discussion of the proper nomenclature for butterflies turned into a bitter argument.  Slither would use sophistry and make Meela say things she didn’t mean and then twist her words around like a twisted ankle.  Well, at least he never used procrustean means to make someone agree with him.

But it was too late.  Slither spotted them and smiled.  It sent a shill up Meela’s body.  Suddenly, she felt sick and lost her appetite, which was not normal for a caterpillar.  Caterpillars eat all day and all night; eating being their only objective to turn into a butterfly.

“Food, Food, green beautiful food, appear.”  Meela whispered, fearing the worst.  And it was true.  Slither stole her magic!  How was she ever going to turn into a butterfly without her magic?

continued next week…

Vocabulary

1. metamorphosis- transformation or dramatic change
2. carte blanche- unlimited power to act
3. incantations- a recited magical spell
4. contemptuous- arrogant and rude
5. nonchalant- being unconcerned or indifferent
6. donnybrook- a fight
7. rife- abundant and overflowing
8. stygian- dark and forbidding
9. vestige- evidence of something that once existed
10. cosmopolitan- worldly and sophisicated
11. interlocutor- someone who participates in a conversation
12. brigand- a robber
13. nomenclature- naming system in art or science
14. sophistry- a misleading argument
15. procrustean- conformity by violent means

Come on, come on.  Carrie wriggled in her seat.  The teacher’s interminable speech about the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck seemed to go on forever.  No one cares about why the people moved to California, or how the land was not arable so the farmers couldn’t grow anything, and therefore, had to leave their land.  The talent show was today, right after school!! Sometimes Carrie wished that the teacher would truncate his speech so they could be finished earlier, but the teacher seemed content to go over every section in great detail.  Like they needed to know that the grandma and grandpa died on the road.  Who wants to know something depressing like that?  The teacher continued to discuss the character’s vernacular and how it was different from the way people talk now.  Carrie gave out a long sigh.

It was teachers like him that made her hate reading.  He would always talk about depressing things in his lugubrious voice that made her want to commit suicide before she left high school.  Is this the gloomy and depressing life that awaited her?

The bell rang, and not a moment too soon.  Carrie dashed out of her seat and yelled after her shoulder, “Have a nice weekend everyone!”  Carrie raced to the auditorium and went backstage.  Her best friend Annie was already there, the perks of being in 6^th period drama.  Carrie has known Annie since they were in kindergarten.  They clicked the first time they fought over their favorite book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.  Now that they were older, they fought over the same cute boy, but after many fights and tears, their camaraderie still stood strong. 

“Carrie!  You have to see my dress!” Annie came bounding over.  Annie was known for her zealous personality; she made everything seem fun.  Annie was wearing a very pretty blue dress that swirled around her ankles.  Her hair was down in curls around her shoulders and her face flushed pink with excitement.  She looked absolutely wonderful.

“You look beautiful.”  Carrie told her.  She turned and went to change into her outfit.  When she came out, she told Annie, “I wish you good luck.  And remember we promised each other that we would still remain friends even if the other wins, okay?”  

“Of course,” Annie said. And Annie gave her a big hug and a kiss on the check.  Even though Carrie said they would have no hard feelings if the other won and Annie consented, both still wished that they were the ones who were going to win.  Oh the fame, oh the popularity, oh the boys. 

Five minutes before the show, Mrs. Dunn, the show supervisor, called out, “Places everyone!”  Everyone settled down to hear the principal’s introductory speech.  “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys of all ages…”  The too old principal did this speech every year, and it was the same speech with the same litany.  It was absolutely too long, and absolutely too boring. This moratorium of the talent show was just too much more Carrie.  She didn’t want to wait even one second before she went on!

Finally, the speech was over and the audience politely applauded the old man.  The first person went out into the spotlight and played his majestic trumpet.  The long golden notes of the trumpet soared through the air and filled the audience with peace.  Carrie was next, and her equanimity surprised her.  She was expecting to be nervous and her hands to be sweaty, but she was oddly calm and composed.  She went out onto the stage and sang her heart out.  She hit all of her high notes and finished with a big note.  She stopped, stared into the spotlight, lot in her daze, and then bowed.  The ubiquitous applause surrounded her and lifted her off the stage.  This is the life for me, thought Carrie.

After the last person danced, everyone was piled in the front stage.  It was time to announce the winner.  Everyone would clap for their favorite performer, and whoever got the loudest claps would win.  Again, the principal gave a long, monotonous speech about how proud he is of every one of them and how brace they all were to share their talent to a room replete of people and blah blah blah.  Carrie didn’t care about any of that.  She wanted to know the winner!  She was so sure it was her.  The trumpet guy squeaked on a note, the dancer slipped and fell in the beginning, and even Annie was a little nervous and sang really softly in the beginning.  The wrenching wait was excruciating.  She was practically jumping out of her skin. 

The student president came onto the stage and asked everyone to clap for their favorite performer.  Everyone got loud claps and whistles, but Carrie was sure she had the loudest.  “Well,” the student president said.  “There is a winner!”  Carrie crossed her fingers. 

“And the winner is…. Gary!!”  The trumpet guy!  Carrie felt tears fall down her cheeks.   After her tears desiccated, she was proud to discover that she wasn’t all that sad.  “I guess my spirit wasn’t as frangible as I thought.”  Carrie walked off the stage feeling very happy, and she walked into the arms of her parents, knowing that even though she lost, she had tons of fun.

Vocabulary

1. interminable- adj; something that seems to go on forever
2. arable- adj; suitable for cultivation of land
3. truncate- verb; to shorten
4. vernacular- noun; everyday language
5. lugubrious- adj; gloomy and depressing
6. camaraderie- noun; friendship; goodwill
7. zealous- adj; passionate and enthusiastic
8. litany- noun, a long, repetitive, dull, long speech
9. moratorium- noun; a postponing or suspension of activity
10. equanimity- adj; something that seems to be everywhere
11.  ubiquitous-  adj; something that seems to be everywhere
12. replete- adj; full and abundant
13.  wrenching- adj; something that causes mental or physical pain
14. desiccated- verb; to dry out
15.  frangible- adj; easy to break