Chapter One: Sky Without Stars

I lived in a world where butterflies were the most colorful and beautiful creatures. Each wing had a spray of breathtaking colors. I often wondered if butterflies could shed a tear.

All I saw was happiness. Do they have a secret world hidden to our eyes? I kept wondering.

When I turned sixteen, the night sky had no bright stars. Suddenly, I transformed into a small yet perfect creature - a butterfly. I was free and flew into that dark night. My delicate wings shivered, unable to shake away the coldness. I couldn’t protect myself from the humming wind blowing against it. If only I could warm myself up with a sweater and a scarf, but now that’s impossible. Frantically, I searched for a place to stay until it became less windy.

I stayed on a branch of a tree, and from there I saw a guy, but he wasn’t any kind of guy. He had the most beautiful heart. I saw him giving his bread to a beggar who had no food to eat.

“Thank you. Bless your heart.”

The guy smiled. “You’re welcome. Bless your heart as well.”

The beggar walked away with a happy face. 

The gentleman went back to his apartment. I couldn’t forget about him, his pure kindness. To my surprise, before I could fly away, I saw him open his apartment window. He stared at the blank sky whispering in his faraway voice to the warm breeze. “I don’t know what to do. If only there was a way out of this.” I saw tears well in his eyes and wanted to cry with him, but I couldn’t.

When he closed his eyes, the wind became gentle, a way for me to go near him. He opened his eyes, and he saw me. His eyes widened, taking a pause, looking breath taken by my presence. I saw the color of his misty eyes, similar to an enchanting evening. His ash-blond hair shimmered. He finally smiled. I knew at least because of me he felt much better than he was before.

I flew away and hope to see him again when the sky of late-night had no stars. I came to the open window of my room and lay on my bed, waiting for the morning light to come to transform back to who I really was. I often wondered how it happened.

Maybe it was not the time for me to know. All I kept thinking was if that guy would remember me, even if I was just a beautiful butterfly.