The morning is chilly. The sun shines but gives no warmth. Little bobby has permission to run in the fields. He is seven years old. His home in the mountains is surrounded by sweet -smelling pines. A shepherd and his flock is descendig the hillside. Bobby contemplates the scenery. How wonderful it is to live in Michoacan among so many tall trees.

   He sits on a large rock. He breathes deeply. The air is so cold there are no butterflies. He is a collector. He has a framed display of multi -colored butterflies hanging on his wall.

   A white butterfly rests on the tall grass near the boy. Robert hears a small voice calls his name. He is surprised to see the butterfly fluttering near him. Perhaps it has lost its way.

–A penny for your thoughts.

–I’m not thinking. I’m justenjoying the view. But where have you come from? You are not supposed to be here. It is winter and it is too cold for you.

  The butterfly came down lightly on his shoulder:

–I come from the northern part of America. From Butterfly Country.

Would you like to come with me?

–You want me to go?

–We know you hold us in great esteem and keep us in a crystal box.

Come and pay us a visit.

–Why? With what purpose?

–You can study us first hand and see what we do.

–I know you are pretty, fly rapidly and I collect you with great pleasure, but... 

    The friendly butterfly said:

–Come along with me. Robert.

–Is this country you speak of very far away?

–A bit. Follow me.

   Bobby started walking but the butterfly whispered into his right ear:

–If you walk we will need more than a day to get there. Take some powder from my wing, dab it behind your ears. Then you will be able to fly and follow me.

–Fly like a butterfly? This I must try!

   Bobby placed the butterfly powder behind his ears. He felt as if a whirlwind were spinning him. He rose in the air. A bit frightened at first he quickly found himself flyng at the same speed as the butterfly and completely fascinated!

   They flew, flew and kept on flying. At last they reached their destination. Butterfly Country! There were huge trees covered with brown and blue butterflies instead of leaves. They opened and closed their wings ever so quickly.

   How very strange! How very beautiful! At the end of this line of moving trees the Queen Butterfly reigned from a topaz and turquoise-studded throne.

   The Guard of Honor was formed by giant Alexander butterflies with a wingspread of over 20 centimeters. On either side of her majesty, tiny butterflies from India meshed with the Emperor butterflies from northern Canada.

   A live painting of rich color. A dream in movement and harmony. 

      Mute with admiration, Bobby reached the throne. The butterflies turned lilac. The meadows, the flowers, the birds were still. Now the wind filtered their sounds. Sounds filled with life, with wisdom.

–I sent for you Robert. I want you to know what we are and why we are. The Queen Bee opened and closed her rainbow -colored wings.

–I know you are insects with six legs, feelers and wings.

–True! We are insects but we have an important mission.

   Bobby scratched his nose.

–Such as...?

–We serve as food to human beings in such countries as the Philipines and Mexico. We pollinate plants and we serve for serious scientific study or simply as decoration.

   Robert moved his hands.

–The wind, the bees and the humming birds also fertilize plants.

–Yes, but we wisely choose beautiful plants filled with nectar.

   Bobby rossed his arms.

–How do you know when a flower has nectar?

–Simple! When a flower contains sugar it radiates an ultraviolet light which human beings cannot perceive. With our front legs and our feelers we can also detect nectar.

   Interested, Bobby continued:

–Do you share this nectar with other insects?

–Yes, with our friends, the ants.–The ants are you friends?

–Yes, they care tenderly for our larva and protect them from the birds.

   Bobby sat on the floor. He feared losing one word of what the Queen Bee was saying.

–Did you know, my boy, that the larva pay for this service with drops of honey?

–I would love to see that.

–Bobby, do you know why we seem to be created of different colors?

–Because you are different colors.

–I want you to know that certain species possess special pigmentation but majority of us receive the color in the tiny scales of our wings from the refraction of the sunlight.

–Tell me, Queen Bee, are there butterflies in the whole world?

–Where there is vegetable life you will find butterflies. Some of us emigrate in Autumn seeking warmth and new plants. Have you ever seen the butterflies that cross the sea?

   The Queen Bee flew two complete circles before landing on Robert’s shoulder. Almost in secret she whispered:

–Would you like to be a butterfly?

–I? Why? For what?

–You would understand many things.

  Dear Queen, I thank you but butterflies take a long time to transform themselves and my mother will be very worried if I am not home soon.

–The truth is some butterflies, like those who live near the arctic, in the ice, need almost two years for transformation. The Alfalfa Butterflies are the quickest. They complete their change in less than three months.

–Three months! Without going home? Much too much, don’t you think?

–Do not worry about time, Robert. I shall detain time. No one will notice your absence.

   The wind moved the trees. Then there was dead silence.

   The ritual to change Robert into a butterfly had begun. An Emperor Butterfly, the kind that inhabit the northern part of Mexico, donated a small, elongated egg. The butterflies rose in the air forming circles.

The Queen Bee touched Robert with her antennas. The wind whistled anew. Robert felt small. Very small. He was locked in a warm, white sphere. He thought: 

–I am proctected. Nothing can harm me. He felt a rare sensation. He turned into a worm! Breaking out of the egg, he became a larva.

   Ay! How the sunligth bothered him! His eyes had become accustomed to the dark. He was hungry. He found it difficult to climb the trees with so many feet. He crawled along very slowly, carefully.

He ate some leaves.

–Uf! What a taste.

   He would have to adapt. With each moment the experience became more delightful. The larva hung from a branch. It started to form a cocoon, but upside down! It began winding gently from the bottom up, then sudenly everything was pitch black!

–Who turned off the lights? I can’t see a thing!

   His head hurt. Antennas appeared.

–Lord! This is worse than a bump on the head!

   Something heavy started to sprout on his back. He couldn’t complain.

–I thing I have wings, too!

   At last the cocoon broke open. Boby had been transformed into a beautiful golden butterfly with dark stripes. But what had happened?

Everything seemed to have grown. The plants, the flowers, all had a new dimension. A new color. Boby felt happy. He moved his wings as if dusting them. The butterflies came closer, they tipped their antennas in greeting. They were welcoming him.

   The Queen Bee flew directly in front of him.

–Dear boy, enjoy your wings. You now have patience, our main virtue. See the marvels of nature through your new eyes. You will understand the thinking of the flowers when you taste their honey.

   The child tried some brief flights. How happy he was flying. He did a couple of sombersalts, rested on flowers, sipped water. He was delighted.

–Oh, how I love flying. This is enchanting, although I must admit the wings seem a bit heavy. Well I won’t always be a butterfly because I am a boy. Remembering his home he suddenly felt homesick.

   The butterflies congregated.

–It is time to go back home, dear child.

 –May I return soon again?

   The Queen Bee touched the golden butterfly with her antennas. A loud thunder clap filled the air. Once again Robert was a child. He was silenced with astonishment. The Queen Bee spoke.

–Take your wings to remember us by. You can always use them to return. We shall always be here.

–Thank you, Queen Bee. Thank you butterflies. Goodbye flowers. Goodbye to all of you. I shall be back. Thank you all so very much.

   He returned with the friendly white butterfly who had first invited him to visit Butterfly country .

   The shepherd was watching his sheep graze on the hilltop.

Robert walked home slowly. Very, very slowly.