The black Caterpillar looked at his brothers who were green in colour and wondered whether he belonged with them or not. On seeing that he was the odd one out, he decided to venture on his own, in search for a new family, those that looked like him. The black Caterpillar did not tell anyone that he was going away. As he crawled on, he met some brown ants busy collecting food, for winter was fast approaching.
“Do you happen to be members of my family?” He asked, innocently.
The ants looked at him and scoffed at him saying that they were not as black and nearly as ugly as he was.
“B…but you look exactly like me, only smaller,” he said.
“Oh, sweetheart, we are brown, not black and you definitely don’t belong with us,” a kind ant said to him.
The young Caterpillar hung his head in disappointment but vowed to continue looking for people who looked exactly like him, black. He walked on in silence until he met a group of young birds feeding on a worm. The young Caterpillar was scared beyond words and all he could think of was diving into the next hole that he could find. Much to his surprise, he found a small Mouse retreating backwards. The Mouse was obviously scared.
“Are you a snake?” The Mouse asked the young caterpillar in a timid voice.
“Of course not, I am a Caterpillar in search of others who look like me,” the Caterpillar replied.
“And what do you look like?” The Mouse asked again, obviously confused by the Caterpillar’s response.
“I am a black Caterpillar,” he said.
“So, are you looking for other Caterpillars or just the black ones like you?”
“Yes, I am,” the Caterpillar replied without giving it much thought.
Much silence passed between them for some time before the small Mouse spoke again. This was after the Caterpillar had narrated his side of the story, and told the Mouse where he was heading. “Black Caterpillar, I am confused.”
“What is confusing you small Mouse?”
“You said that you are looking for other caterpillars and yet you left them to come here?”
The Caterpillar was now getting angry. How could the Mouse not understand what was happening? Although the Mouse could not see him, he noticed that the Caterpillar was becoming irritated and decided to keep quiet.
“Listen, black Caterpillar, immediately it gets dark, we will set off in search of your ideal family. I got separated from mine and I would like to look for them too,” the Mouse said, amidst the momentary silence.
“Why can’t we go now?” Black Caterpillar asked innocently.
“There are a lot of predators hunting for bugs, worms, and even my kind, therefore it is not safe at all,” he said.
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” He asked again.
“We should sleep because the journey ahead of us will be long.”
They both agreed to sleep, but in turns, to avoid getting any unpleasant surprises. One of them had to keep watch while the other rested. As he slept, the black Caterpillar had a beautiful dream. He dreamt of having brightly coloured wings and that he was the most beautiful creature of them all. He soared high in the sky and enjoyed the wind ruffling through his colourful wings. Just then, the Mouse shook him and he woke up.
“Why did you do that?” He asked, obviously angry, “I had the most beautiful dream, that I had wings and could fly.”
“In case you forgot, we are supposed to leave,” The Mouse said hurriedly.
“Alright, I just wish for my dream to come true,” the black Caterpillar said sadly.
“Oh, wait, I forgot. You are a caterpillar, right?” The Mouse spoke excitedly.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Black Caterpillar added gloomily.
“Then your dream will come true! I remember mother telling me how lucky you creatures are, on one day, you are a caterpillar and on the next a butterfly,”
The black Caterpillar was thrilled with this piece of information. If his dream was going to come true, then he would be the most beautiful creature when he grew wings. He suddenly grew sad again, amidst all the excitement. He needed to go home. The Mouse was kind enough to take him there while he looked for his own family.
“Remember black Caterpillar, that even the ugliest caterpillar will make a beautiful butterfly,” The Mouse said.
“Does it also mean that even the blackest caterpillar will make a beautiful butterfly?”
“Indeed, my friend. He will make the most beautiful butterfly,”
With that, the Mouse left the black Caterpillar at his home as he went in search of his own family.
“So long dear friend,” the black Caterpillar called after him.
“So long,” the Mouse said as he faded into the horizon.
Read – The Sun – A Children’s Story by Veronica Kalihadya, Tanzania
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