AUGUST 12: The Little Caterpillars
“Did our mother receive this leaf as a gift?” asked the first little brown caterpillar.
“Oh no,” said the second little brown caterpillar. “She just liked the looks of it or thought the taste of it would be good for us and so she just took it and left it here.”
“Gracious,” said the third little brown caterpillar, “you know caterpillars can’t wait until they’re asked to have their meals.”
“They can’t wait to be given leaves,” said the fourth little brown caterpillar.
“They’d never get them if they did,” said the fifth little brown caterpillar.
“And we must have leaves in our lives,” said the sixth little brown caterpillar.
“How handsome we will be when we become Blue Swallow-tail Butterflies,” said the seventh little brown caterpillar.
“I greatly look forward to that day,” said the eighth little brown caterpillar.
“And then we shall fly about and drink honey,” said the ninth little brown caterpillar.
“And people will forget that we were caterpillars and will say,
“‘Look at those beautiful butterflies with their blue markings,’” added the tenth little brown caterpillar.
“We will pretend not to hear them but it will please us,” said the eleventh little brown caterpillar.
“Of course it will please us,” said the twelfth little brown caterpillar.
“We will eat and grow strong so we will be very beautiful,” said the thirteenth little brown caterpillar.
“And eat, too, because it is so pleasant to eat,” said the fourteenth little brown caterpillar as he took an extra large nibble at their leaf dining-room.
So they ate until they were a little bigger and then they went off, each one alone, to look for more food and adventures.