A Dream

Butterflies.

The familiar blue butterflies once raised by her grandpa were all Anna could see. Glowing and fading, these butterflies sticked onto the trees and leaves. This cause created the effect of making the entire forest glow a beautiful dreamy blue.

She looked around her in awe, taking in the beauty of this miracle. It was like seeing it all from the bottom of a pool. The light barely filtering through the surface of the water, its shape always fading and changing shape.

Anna's insides twinged a little with regret. The thought of not sketching such an amazing sight made her even more sorrow.

As she gazed upon this beautiful phenomenon in longing, she noticed one butterfly flying away deeper into the butterfly forest.

She instinctively knew it was the one she was chasing after.

How did she know? Well, Anna herself was not quite sure. Was it because it only stood out? As far as her eyes can see, no other butterfly seemed to be really moving at all, just seemingly fluttering in place.

Watching. Waiting.

Anna frowned at the thought, and ideas popped into her head.

It was a trap. The butterfly was leading her to her doom. This was all some plan to get herself killed.

She instantly squashed those horrendously unfeasible and impractical theories as she trailed after it, but she still took the time to look around the forest, trying to imprint this spectacular miracle into her memories.

The butterfly wasn't fluttering as fast as it was earlier, thankfully.

'Who knows when it will all disappear,' she thought, cursing herself as she felt a twinge of frustration.

Once again she had made a mistake that she'll most likely regret for a long time. It will surely haunt her memories day and night, appearing in her head at random moments in time.

Trying to draw herself away from her memories, her thoughts lead her to another theory.

'These were grandfather's butterflies, right? How did they survive this whole time? How did we never notice them during the past eight years?' Anna thought.

Unfortunately, her questions weren't answered, and so she could only step forward with all sorts of theories brewing in her mind.

'Well, guess I'll have to find out then.'

Nodding to herself, Anna made to follow after it with more determination, unfortunately leaving behind the reality of what could be a beautiful painting.

Darkness soon engulfed her, and she turned on her flashlight once more. She did not need to stumble blindly through a dark forest filled with pitfalls with slopes.

'Not again will I fall,' Anna thought, and unfortunately, this will continue to happen to her many times in the future. It will even be passed into a proverb of hers.

A quick moment of walking, twigs snapping and leaves crunching underneath her foot, she noticed the butterfly she was following stopped in front of a giant tree.

There was nothing truly special about this tree, except for a startling detail of a lone flower blooming under it.

'It was a beautiful flower,' was Anna's first thought when she saw it.

It's petals glowing softly under the moonlight coming from the cracks in treetops. It was sculpted beautifully, grown naturally, and it emitted a soft, yet calming aura.

Looking below it, underneath the flower's petals were its leaves, and on it's leaves was...an egg. A very small egg.

'An egg?'

"...a butterfly egg," Anna asserted.

Even if she was confident it was a butterfly's egg, she was still bewildered. She didn't forget a butterfly lead her here.

A butterfly! It was a butterfly, an insect of all beings!

Why would a butterfly lead her here? Wait, did the butterfly actually intend to leave her here?

Anna then decided to attempt to approach the flower and the egg, and like all causes, it has an effect.

Like the sudden breeze, all of a sudden, raging wind started pushing her away from it. She tried to fight it, yes, but a child cannot really fight, and the wind was too strong. In the end, it blew her back.

Away from the flower, away from the butterfly, and back out of the forest, right back to the house.

Seeing the house approaching her at a speed in which she can no longer tell, Anna instinctively she closed her eyes tight, bracing herself for impact.

"..."

One second. Two second. Three second.

She didn't feel any impact whatsoever.

After waiting for a few more seconds, she finally opened her eyes as she sat up with a start. Taking a look around, she found herself lying down on the porch of her backyard, holding her sketchbook tightly.

"...what?" Anna muttered confusedly.

It was already deep into the night, and the midnight winds felt cold, rustling her hair and clothes.

Breathing hard, Anna laid on the ground, putting her hand over heart. After minutes of hard breathing, she regained her bearings, pressing her hand on her forehead.

'Was it all just...a dream? A dream when I dozed off?' Anna shook her head.

A good night sleep should wipe away some of her worries.

Still, what else can explain such a dream she had? Mayhaps it was a memory from a past long forgotten?

Shaking her legs to get the stiffness away, Anna got up unsteadily, grabbing her sketchbook and pencil. She then walked back inside the house, sliding the shoji behind her, and thought of the comforts of a bed.

What else can she do, but sleep, for she was quite tired.

...

A girl opened her eyes, and what graced her sight was a fog, consuming the flowers and trees in her eyes.

"..a dream? Another dream?" Anna muttered, exasperated at the thought as she had the priviledge to ocne again look at a new world.

Why can't she get some peace today? Excitement should be kept at an all time low.

At the thought, Anna slightly nodded, looking at her hand. Even now, she was sober, moving her hand with fluidity and grace rather than moving through a pool of muddy water.

'From the looks of it, I'm still not obviously awake. I'm still in a dream...probably.'

Anna couldn't help but feel amused at the thought.

'Who knows, perhaps the next scene will be of me thinking I'm already awake, but in fact, I am actually still sleeping…again.'

Then she groaned, putting her hands over her face. Her amusement was gone, and now she felt empty, thinking deprecatingly at her life. Peace was all she asked. Was it that harsh of a wish?

Anna had just laid down on her bed after changing into her pajamas, dropping face down. She was already tired from that weird nap she had on her backyard porch. How did she fall asleep there anyways? Perhaps it was the fresh clean air of nature, away from all the polluted stuff from urban life.

Or perhaps it was the nostalgic feeling of home.

Taking another look around, Anna once again thought this place was weird, since she didn't feel sluggish at all.

Usually in dreams, one would feel like moving through water, being sluggish and slow. It was basically being drunk, feeling incapable of moving one's own limbs with coordination.

Now she feels the same as she always was when she's awake.

'Were dreams always this realistic?'

She couldn't help but pinch herself on her arm. As a result, she felt a tiny sting of pain. Hissing Anna rubbed the area she just pinched, cursing herself.

'This was supposed to be a simple spring vacation...why did life have to torment me in this way?'

Fate once again played her likea marionette as once again, unwanted memories randomly appeared in her mind.

For most of her life, Anna always wanted to be normal, make friends, and have a social life. Unfortunately for her, she always had a really difficult time trying to be what society deems a normal person.

In the end she just gave up and kept to herself.

For the last couple of years, she had been by herself, alone in her room. Trapping herself, she allowed herself to be swallowed by her memories.

She imagines herself as a four year old girl, running in a field of flowers, with butterflies her grandpa raised fluttering and swirling around her. Of course, her grandpa would be there, softly smiling at her with his stern face,

Those days were one of the few happiest memories she had. The few memories she had with him...

...

It didn't have to take long for something to change. While she stood still and tried to make out what's behind the fog, Anna eventually noticed the the fog slowly clearing up.

Within the seconds, the fog cleared up more and more, showing her something she didn't expect to see.

"..."

The same forest in her previous dream.

Except...there were no butterflies. As far as she can see, it was entirely dark, dreary, and gloomy. The trees, once so inviting, were now cold and tall. The forest that was once so beautiful wasn't teeming with life whatsoever.

Anna was already nervous, but she became increasingly frightened. Now she doesn't even have a flashlight.

Before she panicked, she noticed the giant tree from earlier. Seeing the familiar tree, her gazed dropped to its roots, and as expected, she saw same flower from her previous dream.

This time, however, the flower that was once so beautiful, seemed to be wilting. Before she began to lament that it's dying, there was something else that caught her eye.

It was the egg. The same egg that was on the leaf of that strangely aesthetically pleasing flower that is now dying.

After staring at it for a while, Anna only blinked. What was she suppose to do? Achieve something productive in a dream?

At the thought she added as a parting shot to herself, Anna chuckled darkly.

She quickly felt unamused at the situation, and quickly began thinking productively.

A long time ago, she was watching her grandpa raise butterflies, he always showed them to her.

'Don't butterflies also lay eggs about one month later? It should be around late April too...' Anna eyed the egg,

There was something incredibly off about it, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. As Anna tried to figure out what's wrong, she noticed that it looked like it was shaking...

It was attempting to hatch.

'It's early spring, so how can it hatch now? At the state of that flower, it's going to die...'

Anna felt a small feeling of sympathy. Even if it is a dream, she doesn't want it to die. After all, she loved butterflies. She inherited that love from her grandfather.

Even in the city, she tried to take the time to visit an old lady whose familiar with her family. She had quite the wonderful garden to.

Before her thoughts continued further, the dream began to turn blurry. It was probably time for her to wake up. Still, Anna kept watching the egg attempting to hatch. All the way until everything faded away...

...

Anna woke up, sighing. Getting the blankets off of her, she lazily rubbed her eyes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Wooden boards creaked as her foot stepped on each one, stumbling into the bathroom.

As usual, she washed her eyes, brushed her teeth, and at the end of it all, she stared at herself in the mirror.

Anna couldn't help but remember the dreams she had, which was surprising.

Most dreams would vanish after the person wakes up, but these two dreams in particular were still in her mind.

Trying to forget them, she walked into the living room, and simply prepared breakfast for herself. Completely forgetting to eat dinner last night, she dove eagerly into the food she brought with her yesterday.

While she ate, Anna couldn't help but kept thinking about her dream.

'Were the dreams actually true? It couldn't hurt to visit the place again. I was going to go outside today to sketch as well...'

Coming up with an excuse disguised as a plan, she nodded to herself, and got out of her pajamas, changing into her outside clothes.

A simple sweater and sweat pants. Nothing more needed in the morning of an early spring.

In minutes, Anna stepped outside the house and into the backyard. Looking up, she caught sight of the sun barely above the horizon.

'A misty spring morning, very chilly, yet fresh,' she remarked offhandedly.

The air felt cleaner than ever before. Seems like getting used to city air was a problem.

How lovely.

Sighing, she went back into her house, grabbed a jacket, wore her socks, and headed back out again. After taking in a deep breath, with flashlight in hand, Anna started walking into the forest that doesn't look that gloomy anymore.

The morning sun must've helped it look bright and inviting, otherwise she would feel a pang of unease just by looking at it.

...

Hiking through the forest is as tiresome as the one she hiked in from her dream.

Which was the exact same forest.

Anna huffed and wheezed as she made her way past the familiar bushes and shrubs, cursing her weak constitution. That didn't stop the girl from stopping, but instead continuing onwards.

Following an eerily familiar trail, she finally ventured upon the hill from last last night. The one she tripped and fell on.

'I'm pretty sure I'd never been here before, at least in my memories...so how did I have such a lucid dream?'

She moved down the hill slowly, her eyes darting here and there, having at least some modicum of a sense of cautiousness. After enduring that realistic pain of tumbling down a slope in her dream, she did not want to experience it once again.

After taking careful steps, Anna finally reached the bottom of the hill. Pushing past two bushes, she took in the sights of what she saw in her dreams.

This time, however, it was an empty normal forest, deprived of blue glowing butterflies.

Other than that, in the distance, she found the large tree. WIth it, was the same familiar flower.

From that flower, she saw the egg from her dreams.

'It does look lonely after all,' Anna silently thought.

Butterflies lay their eggs usually in batches and clusters, but not by themselves. Once again, Anna also noticed that the flower from her dreams is wilting in this world.

Just like her dream.

She finally couldn't help but this this was another dream...or a plan made by someone watching her.

'How could dreams be so realistic?!'

While brooding over the thought of having prophetic dreams, she noticed that the leaves, just like in her dream, are also dying along with the flower itself.

Caterpillars after hatching from their eggs will eat the eggs they came out of, and then eat the leaves they were born on. If the leaves are dying, that means...

"..."

That means leaving the egg to its fate is certain death. It is all the more certain in this season, as well as potential predators lying around in wait.

Biting her lips, Anna tried to think of what she could do. She was a twelve-thirteen year old girl, what can she do.

Well, there is something that she can do.

'I can raise it by myself without any one's permission,' she simply thought.

The advantages of living by herself.

Her dad said so himself that he'll come in three weeks, but knowing her parents, it could take much longer.

A caterpillar can hatch within three to four days after female butterflies laid their eggs. Once fully grown, they then transform themselves into a chrysalis, which is basically a cocoon, after two weeks of non stop eating.

Her grandpa showed and taught her so.

Confirming her decision, she walked over to the plant without any hesitation, and gently ripped the leaf off, afraid of even slightly disturbing the egg.

Completely forgetting to sketch, Anna determinedly walked home with it, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

She was afraid of tripping down and hurt the egg.

...

Finally arriving back home after what seems to be thrice the amount of time she walked from home to the forest, she gently placed the wilted leaf down, looking for the right supplies.

What she needed was...a cardboard box, netting with holes, and paper towels.

All were easily acquired, and within a few minutes she finally got the materials necessary for the proper growth of a caterpillar.

The cardboard box was a leftover box from the closet-just a simple dusting would do. The netting with holes was also from the closet-used as the roof of the cardboard box. Finally, the paper towels came from the luggage she brought with her, to place on the ground as a bedding of sorts.

Placing the cardboard box down, she soaked the paper towels, placing them on the box's floor. Then, she placed milkweed leaves onto the damp paper towels, so that the leaves won't dry. Dried milkweed leaves aren't nutritious at all for the caterpillar.

The milkweed leaves were acquired from milkweed plants conveniently placed and grown in her backyard. Many years ago, her grandpa would tend to the milkweed plants, since he raised butterflies.

Now, although there were plenty left, it was still not as much as before when her grandfather was still here...

Anna sighed at the memory that came up.

"Why couldn't I spend a single day without being depressed," she remarked with a pained smile.

Leaving that depressing thought aside, Anna couldn't help but smile as she saw the egg move a tiny bit.

It was still alive after all, and by looks of it, it was going to hatch soon. Grabbing the wilted leaf with the egg on it, she carefully placed it inside the box, right next to the leaves.

After making sure everything is in order and seemed fine, she at last put the netting across the top of the box in order for it to be secured. First, to not let the caterpillar escape, and second to let in the very much needed air. Blocking out most of the light was also an added bonus.

Just being directly in the light will dry the caterpillar and the leaves. Even if it was the early spring, she can't take any chances.

Finally, with bated breath, Anna placed the new home from the ground, and onto the top of a table in the main room, which was a tabudai.

A tabudai is a short legged table, allowing a person to sit down right on the ground, the table's height would still not come close to that person's chin.

Subsequently after placing it onto the tabudai, she then sat down, and stared at it with raw intensity, her hand pressed against her cheeks, elbow on the table.

"..."

Minutes upon minutes passed, and a normal person would move on. Seeing that nothing is really happening, she yawned, and got back up again.

Rather then sitting around, waiting, Anna went to do other productive things, like sketching, and so she left the box alone.

...

Time passed, and the chilly spring night arrived. Washing herself up, Anna got into her pajamas after eating a small dinner-a simple salad. After cleaning up, she then went right back to the tabudai, and checked the box to see if the caterpillar hatched.

No dice.

Turning the lights off, except for a nearby lamp, she sat down once more, putting her head into the crevices of her arms, and waited. With her eyes slowly closing each passing minute, Anna yawned, and unknowingly fell into a deep slumber.

...

Minutes later, the egg finally started to hatch, the sounds of a slight cracking sound fills the air-

No. Not cracking.

𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨.

After a few minutes of what seems to be constant chewing, a slit of a hole appeared on the side of the egg, and from it...

Came the head of a caterpillar.

The fuzzy-looking translucent pale caterpillar didn't fully wriggle out of it's egg. Instead, it looked at the surroundings not curiously, but out of instinct.

As it was placed in a cardboard box, all it could see was just tall brown walls surrounding it. Then, looking at the ground with it's black head, it observed that the ground was supposed to be covered in mostly damp paper towels, with a couple of green leaves placed onto it.

Looking up, it could see through a veil of netting. A giant head of what seems to be a girl sleeping loomed over the caterpillar.

The girl seemed to forget to turn the nearby source of light off, and so it is safe to assume that she just fell asleep by accident.

Once it figured that it was in a safe environment, it wriggled almost joyfully, as if it reached a milestone.

It, or rather he, thought to himself-

'I'm free.'