Laia, the Butterfly Princess, sipped the nutrients from the thick, muddy puddle with her butterfly friends. Puddling for food was new to her, but she learned to drink from the shallow water with the tips of her head stems.
Laia smiled at the leader of their pack. Her name was Aisling, and she was a Goliath Butterfly with bright green wings lined with black. Aisling called their little group the Puddle Jumpers, and she was strict on who she accepted. Laia was a butterfly princess, though, and couldn’t possibly be rejected.
“Isn’t this muddy water satisfying after sipping nectar all day long?” Aisling mused. “The minerals in this mud make us healthy and strong.”
Laia nodded her head. “I must agree. I feel sturdy as that white sycamore tree.”
The Puddle Jumpers met at a new watering hole every day. Other butterflies tried puddling with them, but Aisling shooed them away.
“You don’t belong with the Puddle Jumpers!” she’d holler. “Go find another puddle of water to swallow!”
Laia was uncomfortable with Aisling’s rude tone. “Why can’t they join us?” She looked around. “There’s plenty of room to roam.”
Aisling turned to Laia with a pout. “I am the leader of the Puddle Jumpers, and I say who comes in and who stays out!”
Something about Aisling’s words did not sit right.
“I guess I will go home now,” Laia said, “and rest for the night.”
Laia struggled to fly across the meadow full from all she ate. “Too much nectar and puddle water,” she said to herself. “I need to find a tree to rest and wait.”
She saw the large, white sycamore tree hovering over the land like a mighty warrior. “I will relax on its sturdy branches until my tummy feels better.”
She floated to a low branch, expecting to feel the bark’s flaky wood.
“Oh my!” she yelled. “This is not good! Instead of the peeling bark of a tree, I landed on something soft and fuzzy!”
“That’s quite all right,” a white moth said. “I blend in with the sycamore tree to stay out of sight.”
Laia hopped on a nearby branch. “What you say is true,” Laia said. “As I landed on the tree, I did not see you. I can spot you now, but not at first glance.”
Then, Laia scratched her chin with her black, pointed hand. “But why must you stay hidden? I don’t understand.”
The moth gave a sorrowful frown. “I did fly down to introduce myself to your group, but a large, green butterfly gave me the boot.”
Laia shook her head in dismay. “That is our leader, Aisling, and she makes others go away. Our group is called the Puddle Jumpers, and she is picky about who may stay.”
The moth heaved a sigh. “That’s why I am all alone and afraid to fly. Aisling told me I was an ugly moth and not a beautiful butterfly.”
Laia shook her head. “I disagree. I think you are soft, sweet and very pretty.”
The moth shrugged. “How can that be when I am so different from you? You are colorful, bright and slim. I am fuzzy, dull and stout. To be honest, your words give me doubt.”
Laia spread her lavender wing. “You see this birthmark? I used to think it was a weird thing, but now I like my scarlet flame. Now tell me. What is your name?”
The fuzzy, white moth shyly smiled. “My name is Mori, and may I ask you the same?”
“My name is Laia, the Butterfly Princess, and I’m glad we met on your white sycamore tree. Would you like to be friends with me?”
Mori fluttered her feathery fringe. “I would love to be your friend!”
Aisling spied Mori and Laia giggling on the white sycamore tree. “How dare Laia talk with a moth so ugly. Moths and butterflies never mix. This is a problem I intend to fix!”
Aisling fumed and took flight. Her angry arrival gave Laia and Mori a fright. She hovered over the new friends on the tree, and the wind from her wings made a mighty breeze.
“You should not be on this branch with this awful moth. I demand that you go with me and get off!”
“Your command is unfair and mean,” Laia said to Aisling. “Mori is just as special as you and me.”
“That’s a lie,” Aisling huffed. “A plain, fuzzy moth could never be like a beautiful butterfly. Your friendship will never last. I will think up a plan to end it fast!”
Then Aisling jumped off and soared past.
Mori cried another tear. “She may be right, I fear. You must not be my friend. Our time together should come to an end.”
Laia grabbed a soft leaf and wiped it under Mori’s moist eyes. “What she said to you was tough, and I must apologize. I didn’t say enough. Aisling’s words were mean and untrue. You are nice and sweet, and I would rather be friends with you.”
Mori gave a smile. “Thank you. I feel much better. I’m glad we got to spend this time together. I will try to forget what Aisling said and listen to your words instead.”
Laia picked up her golden crown and placed it back on her head. “Now I must be getting home. I am tired, and my pink buns have gone astray. I will visit you another day.”
The following morning, Laia went to visit Mori on her white sycamore tree. “I have a plan for us today, and Aisling doesn’t have to see. We can go puddling in our own secret way.”
Mori flapped her fuzzy wings with glee. “You would do that with me? I want to fly to the watering holes below. Just lead the way, and I will follow.”
Suddenly, a great green butterfly landed nearby.
“Oh no!” Mori said. “Aisling has come to spy!”
“This is not so,” Aisling frowned. “I have come to say sorry and ask if I could go. There is a delicious puddling place that I have found.”
“Really and truly,” Mori said. “You want to spend time with a moth like me?”
“Of course,” Aisling said. “What I said was wrong. Butterflies and moths both belong. Now come and fly with me.”
So the trio jumped joyfully off the white sycamore tree.
Laia and Mori soared over the meadow with Aisling in sight. Laia flittered side-to-side, and Mori flew steady and tight.
“We are almost there,” Aisling said. “I placed three maple leaves around the puddle for us to sit, so we can stay dry while we sip.”
Laia gave a cheer. “Finally, we are here!” She chose a leaf near the water’s edge and quickly landed.
“Don’t sit there!” Aisling demanded.
Laia’s leafy seat fell, and her lavender wings bent. Then she gave a yell and slid to the bottom of the dark pit. “My wings won’t open. I don’t fit!”
“That was supposed to be Mori’s spot,” Aisling scolded. “I didn’t want Laia to get caught!” Then her eyes scanned the meadow. “There is nothing long enough to reach the bottom of the hole.”
Mori gave a clap. “I have an idea to get Laia out of that trap. A pile of little things will help get her free. Now let’s hurry back to my white sycamore tree!”
Mori flapped her fuzzy, white wings so quickly that Aisling could barely keep pace. “Can’t you slow down?” Aisling asked. “This isn’t a race.”
Mori continued to fly and ignored Aisling’s plea. When Aisling finally arrived, she saw Mori pulling the flaky bark from the sycamore tree. “Wow!” she said. “I can’t believe you are faster than me!”
“Help me gather these pieces of bark,” Mori said. “Laia is stuck, and it will soon be dark.” Mori peeled the slivers of wood and put them in a pile. “If you don’t help me now, this will take a while.”
Aisling started pulling flakes from the tree. “Although I don’t understand, I will trust your plan. I also want to get Laia free.”
“Perfect!” Mori said. “This should be all we need.” Then she gathered over half the pile and flew off with speed.
Aisling grabbed the flakes that remained and stumbled off the tree. She struggled to fly with all the weight she had gained. “Wow!” Aisling said. “Mori is also stronger than me!”
When Aisling made it back to the terrible hole she had found, she saw Mori dropping flakes of bark to the bottom where Laia was bound.
“How can we get Laia out by throwing pieces of bark into the ground?”
“Come to the edge of the pit and you will find,” Mori said, “the flakes are heaping up at the bottom for Laia to climb. With every flake of wood I drop, she takes one step closer to the top.”
Aisling peered over the ledge. “What a great thought! I will help you save Laia with the flakes I brought.”
Kneeling side-by-side, Mori and Aisling worked together toward their goal. They carefully dropped the flakes into the rising base of the hole.
“Look!” Aisling said. “Laia is getting close!”
“Yay!” Mori said. “This is the part I like most!”
Laia stepped off the pile of flaky bark and back onto land. “After so much climbing, it feels good to stand!”
Laia and Mori turned to face Aisling who was nervously shaking.
“We were misled!” Laia started. “Our day of fun became trouble instead!”
“Your plan was unkind!” Mori added. “I thought we were friends, but you lied!”
Aisling sighed and dropped her head. “I thought I was better than Mori, but now I realize I was wrong. Mori is fast and strong. She is also smart. I ask for your forgiveness with all my heart.”
“I agree,” Laia said. “Mori is fast, strong and smart. But she is also kind, sweet and pretty. These are the words you should have used from the start.”
Aisling nodded. “I realize words can be used for good and bad, and I promise not to use them to make others sad. I will use my words to make others happy, so I can have more friends around me.”
Laia smiled at her friends. “A group hug is what we need!”
Aisling and Mori agreed.
And this is how the story of Laia, the Butterfly Princess, ends.
