Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Chapter 1

HOPE FOR THE FLOWERS
By Trina Paulus

*Hope was born

ONCE UPON A TIME a tiny striped caterpillar burst from the egg which has been home for so long. “Hello World,” he said. “It sure is bright out here in the sun.”

“I’m hungry,” he thought and straightway began to eat the leaf he was born on. And he ate another leaf… and another…and another… and another. And he got bigger…and bigger …and bigger….

Until one day he stopped eating and thought, “There must be more to life than just eating and getting bigger.”

“It’s getting dull.”

So Striped crawled down from the friendly tree which had shaded and fed him.

He was seeking more. There were all sorts of new things to find. Grass and dirt and holes and tiny bugs – each fascinated him. But nothing satisfied him.

When he came across some other crawlers like himself he was especially excited. But they were so busy eating they had no time to talk – just as Stripe had been. “They don’t know any more about life than I do,” he sighed.

Then one day Striped saw some crawlers really crawling. He looked around for their goal and saw a great column rising high into the air. When he joined them he discovered the column was a pile of squirming, pushing, caterpillars – caterpillar pillar.

It appeared that the caterpillars were trying to reach the top --- but the top was so lost in the clouds that Stripe had no idea what was there. He felt new excitement – like sap rising in the spring. “Maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for.”

Full of agitation Stripe asked a fellow crawler: “Do you know what’s happening?”

“I just arrived myself,” said the other. “Nobody has time to explain; they’re so busy trying to get wherever they’re going-up there.”

“But what’s at the top?” continued Stripe.

“No one knows that either but it must be awfully good because everybody’s rushing there. Good – bye; I’ve no more time!” He plunged into the pile.

Stripe’s head was bursting with the new drive. He couldn’t get his thoughts together. Every second another crawler passed hem and disappeared into the pillar.

“There’s only one thing to do.”

He pushed himself in.

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