\Wilber woke up early that morning, and looked around.
"Owl!" Wilber called, but the Owl was gone.
The Wind blew against Wilber's face as he made his way down the
tree. He could feel himself grow tired and weak.
He was just about to reach the bottom when he heard a crash. He
looked all around for what had made the noise, but didn't find
what had made it.
Wilber began to head down the tree again, when he heard a hissing
sound.
"Well, hello there." Something said from behind the
tree. Wilber looked around and spotted a redish green snake.
"Hello." Wilber said, still clinging onto the tree.
"How are you this fine day?" The snake asked. Wilber
shrugged.
"I'm fine, I guess." Wilber said. The snake moved closer
to Wilber.
"Is that so?" The snake asked. He began to inch his
way even closer.
Suddenly, Wilber felt hypnotized by the snake.
The snake began to wrap himself around Wilber.
"Help!" Wilber cried. He could feel himself become weak.
A rustling sound could be heard in the bushes behind the snake.
Suddenly, a mongoose lept out at the snake and began to wrestle
with it.
Without even realizing it, Wilber was running, far away from the
snake and the mongoose. He ran as fast as he could, trying to
get away.
Wilber ran with the sun on his right, farther and farther. He
began to grow tired, and could barely walk anymore.
Wilber stopped to take a break, panting hard.
"Look! A catapilliar!" A little girl said, who was holding
a jar. Wilber tried to run away, but the little girl set the jar
over him.
Wilber looked out at the girl, then for a way to escape.
"He's so cute." The girl exclaimed, turning the jar
over and slipping Wilber inside.
"Let me out!" Wilber cried. The girl didn't hear him,
and brought the jar to her face.
"How cute." She said, grinning.
She began to carry the jar toward a shack sort of house. She was
half way there when a tall woman stood in front of the door way.
"What is that?" The woman asked. The girl held up the
jar.
"It's a catapilliar! Isn't he soo cute?" The girl asked.
The woman crossed her arms.
"He'll die in there if you leave him like that jar."
The woman said, uncrossing her arms.
"Okay, mom." The girl said. She walked past her mom
and into the house.
Wilber bounced up and down in the jar, slamming into the sides
as the girl hurried into the kitchen of the house.
The girl sat Wilber down on the counter and unscrewed the lid
of the jar. She then set a basket next to the jar and dissapeared
from sight.
"Is this the way I'm going to die?" Wilber asked himself.
"Is this the end?"
Wilber couldn't answer his own questions. All he could do was
wait for the girl to come back.
A few minutes later, the girl returned, her hands full of leaves.
"Here you go." The girl said, after setting the leaves
in the basket. She took Wilber out of the jar and set him in the
basket with the leaves.
Wilber looked around at all the green leaves.
"Where am I?" He asked himself. He knew the girl wouldn't
answer him. He knew she couldn't understand him.
"I'm going to take good care of you." She said, picking
up the basket. She began to carry him toward an open window.
"Dinner's ready!" The woman called. The girl sighed
and set Wilber down.
"I'll be back in a while." She said.
The girl hurried away, and into another room.
As soon as the girl was out of sight, Wilber began to look around.
He looked at the open window.
"Why am I staying here? I can just leave." Wilber said.
He climbed out of the basket and onto the window sill.
Wind blew at his face as he crawled out of the window.
"Nothing can stop me from going home." Wilber said.
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Chapter Twenty Six: The Praying Mantises
Wilber began to make his way through the woods. The wind
blew against his face, and the sweet smell of flowers filled his
mind. He could barely think, all he could do was walk, through
the woods.
As he walked through the woods, he saw a field in front of him,
outside of the woods.
Wilber began to pick up speed, walking toward the field. As he
got closer, he could see butterflies flying around.
He walked out of the woods and into the field. As he did, the
butterflies flew away.
"Hey! Wait!" Wilber said, but the butterflies did not
hear him.
The butterflies dissapeared out of the field, leaving Wilber all
alone again.
Wilber walked across the field, looking in all directions for
the butterflies, but couldn't see them. The butterflies had dissapeared,
and it was usless for Wilber to look for them.
"Who are you?" Someone said. Wilber spun around to see
a group of praying mantises, cross legged, with their eyes closed,
making a soft, funny noise.
"I'm Wilber." Wilber said just above a whisper, not
wanting to disturb the praying mantises.
The praying mantis that had been talking to Wilber, sat down,
crossing his many legs, closed his eyes.
Wilber, thinking hard, sat down next to the praying mantis. He
then closed his eyes and began to see colors. Red, Orange, Yellow,
Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Gold, then a bright light.
"What are you doing?" One of the praying mantises asked,
opening his eyes.
Wilber snapped out of his trance and looked at the praying mantis.
"I was going over the rainbow bridge." Wilber said.
The praying mantis tilted his head.
"Rainbow Bridge?" The praying mantis asked. Wilber nodded.
"Haven't you ever heard of that?" He asked. The praying
mantis shook his head.
"What is that?" He asked. Wilber sighed.
"Want me to teach you how to go over the Rainbow Bridge?"
Wilber asked.
As Wilber and the praying mantis were talking, the other praying
mantises opened their eyes and were now listening.
"Close you eyes." Wilber said. All the praying mantises
closed their eyes. "Now see these colors as I say them to
you." Wilber said.
All the praying mantises listened carefully.
"Red," Wilber began. Some of the praying mantises gasped
as they saw the color. "Orange," Wilber said.
After reciting all of the colors of the rainbow, he paused for
a moment.
"White." Wilber said. He could hear all the praying
mantises become silent. Everything became silent as they saw the
white light, the brilliant white light.
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Chapter Twenty Seven: You Have To Leave
A day later, Wilber was meditating with the praying mantises,
when he got the urge to be free, to be alone.
He opened his eyes and looked around at all the praying mantises.
They had their eyes closed, and their legs crossed, and they were
sort of humming.
They won't mind if I go over the rainbow bridge, Wilber thought.
Wilber began to see the colors of the rainbow. Then he saw a brilliant
white light.
As Wilber stared at the white light, he suddenly had a vision.
A vision of someone telling him he had to be alone. He needed
to get away, to escape from everything and be alone.
After that vision, Wilber began to see larvy, of the first stage
he had went through, as a worm. Then he saw a catapilliar, which
he was now. Then, Wilber became shocked to see that he had wings,
and that he was a butterfly, a brilliant glowing white butterfly.
"Wow." Wilber said aloud within.
Wilber then saw the trees, the trees that the Owl had told him
to go to when they had first met.
Wilber then saw him mother and father.
"Hello Wilber." His mother said.
"Hey mom." Wilber said. His mother smiled at him.
"You must find those trees. You must come to us." His
mother said. Wilber nodded.
"But where do I go?" Wilber asked.
"Follow the path, just keep on going." His father said.
His mother smiled at him.
"You're making us so proud Wilber." His mother said.
"So proud."
Wilber came out of the trance, breathing hard.
"What is it, Wilber?" One of the praying mantises asked.
Wilber shook his head. "Nothing."
Wilber said. "Nothing at all." He said.
Wilber told the praying mantises of his vision. Of the white light.
The praying mantises listened in awe at Wilber's words.
"How come you have all these experiences and we don't?"
One of the praying mantises asked.
Wilber shrugged. "I don't know." Wilber said.
"He knows so much, and yet he doesn't know." Another
praying mantis said.
"The more you know, the less you know." Wilber replied.
Wilber walked away, and into the little temple that the praying
mantises had made to pray in.
As Wilber walked, he spotted a room at the end of the hall. Wilber
walked into a room with a large black board. He looked around
at all the books spread across tables and on book shelfs. He then
glanced at the black board and read what was written on it. "The
mind is covered with scum, the scum of senses, thoughts, of feelings,
of ideas and knowledge, you must clear the mind to be enlightened.
"Wilber read aloud. Wilber shook his head and walked up to
the black board. Without thinking, he erased the board and wrote
his own message. "There is no mind."
Wilber read his own writing. Pleased with himself, Wilber set
down the eraser and brushed himself off.
"Wilber," Someone said from behind him. Wilber spun
around to see the head praying mantis staring at him.
"Hello," Wilber said.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." The head
praying mantis said.
"What is it?" Wilber asked.
The praying mantis crossed his slender arms. "I'm afraid
that the others are getting jealous of you, of your experiences,
of your great knowledge." The head praying mantis said.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You know too much
for the others to handle, they must learn this all for themselves,
and you're preasuring them to want to know more than they can
know." "I understand." Wilber said. He walked out
of the room. The head praying mantis looked at the board. "There
is no mind."
Chapter Twenty
Eight: The Cocoon
Wilber left the praying mantises, and began walking through
the woods to find the trees, to find his clan, to find his kind.
Wilber walked as fast as he could toward the trees, even though
he couldn't see them, he felt as if he were going the right direction.
That day, Wilber had become determined to find his kind, that
he was now obsessing on it. He barely ate, barely drank, all that
he thought about was getting home.
Wilber picked up a leaf from the ground and began to eat it as
he walked as fast as he could down the path.
"Hello there," Someone said. Wilber tried to ignore
it.
"You look pretty strange for an earth worm." Wilber
turned around to see an earth worm staring at him from a hole.
"I'm not an earth worm," Wilber said. "You have
to go into the ground, you have to start eating right, you're
getting plump." The earth worm said.
Wilber rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm in a hurry-"
"You have to exercise a lot more than you are." The
earth worm interrupted. "You look sick."
Wilber began to walk again, ignoring the earth worm, who was still
talking. "Hey! If you ever need training, I'll hook you up!"
The earth worm called. Wilber ignored him and walked as fast as
he could along the path. A few minutes later, Wilber became very
tired, very exhausted. Wilber laid back against a tree and rested.
As he rested, he realized that he had to be alone. Without thinking,
without senses, without people, without places and without thingsto
distrub him. Wilber began to spin a cocoon. After a while, he
was done, and inside.
He could felt his body changing. His senses tempted him to get
out of the cocoon, but Wilber stayed inside.
Wilber began to hear noises, noises that usually he would like,
but now they were just annoying.
As Wilber stayed in the cocoon, he closed his eyes and dreamed
of what he would become.
Chapter Twenty Nine: Metamorphosis; Big Change
Wilber began to dream, as he laid in the cocoon. He went
into a dream over the rainbow bridge that separated him from everything
around him.
Wilber was still partly awake and could feel his body changing.
Wilber cpuld feel himself stretching.
In Wilber's dream, he saw himself flying, flying high above the
trees, above everything.
As he flew, he saw a light like the sun. Wilber became partly
afraid. He knew he had to get to the light, but he was afraid
to fly toward it.
Suddenly, demons and ugly looking bugs popped up between him and
the light. The demons grabbed at him, but never touched him. All
the bugs came so close to grabbing him, but never hurt him.
Wilber struggled to stay away from the demon bugs. He saw their
ugly teeth, their flaking skin, there eyes that looked so dead.
In one of the bugs, he could smell a putred odor.
Wilber got up the courage to keep flying. He continued, and as
he did, the light took over and all of the demons and bugs dissapeared.
All was light for a moment, then Wilber could see the spirit of
all butterflies.
"Hello Wilber," The spirit said. Wilber flew closer
to the spirit. "Hello," Wilber said.
Wilber moved closer to the spirit until he was a couple of inches
away. "You are changing," The spirit said. "When
you wake up, you will know more than you have ever known, you
will be completely changed." The spirt said, studying Wilber.
Wilber listened in silence.
"You must go on to help others like yourself. Wilber, you
must teach the other larvy, caterpillars and butterflies that
they are special." The spirit said.
"But how will I know how?" Wilber asked.
The spirit nodded. "You will know. It's all inside of you,
no one can tell you how to live your life, no one can give you
the lessons to teach, you must teach them, you must find out what
you need to do." The spirit said sternly.
Wilber couldn't find the words to say to the spirit.
"You have a great power inside of you that only you can use
and you must help other with this power. You were given the power
to help others like yourself. Don't be afraid to use it."
The spirit said.
I have the power, Wilber said to himself, I have it.
Chapter Thirty: Out Of The Cocoon
Wilber came back into consisness, and found that his body
felt different.
Wilber looked around from inside of the cocoon. He then looked
down at his body and realized that most of his many legs were
gone.
Wilber realized that his body had change, that his feelings were
no longer the same, that his mind was now more open.
Wilber, feeling hungry, began to eat his way out of the cocoon.
As he ate, he realized that even his mouth was different.
As Wilber ate, he began to see a bright light. Wilber ate until
he was completely out of the cocoon.
The sun shone brightly down on Wilber, causing him to shut his
eyes. When he opened them, he peered out at everything. Everything
was glowing brightly, radiantly.
Wilber began to see things he had never saw before, and feeling
feelings that he never felt before.
Wilber looked down at the leaf he was sitting on. As he stared
at the leaf, he remember waking up on it that first day and feeling
what he felt now; a new world, everything new to him.
Wilber began to hear talking. He looked around, but only saw bugs
who's mouths weren't moving.
I think I'm reading their thoughts, Wilber thought.
Wilber could feel the other bug's feelings, and hear what they
were thinking, and see their aura's shinning brightly.
Everything has changed, Wilber thought, Everything, even me.
As Wilber saw that everything was changed, he realized that there
was something coming off of him, the wings, the white wings of
a butterfly.
Wilber lifted his wings, his beautiful white wings.
I feel as if I'm being born again, Wilber thought, I know not
of my body, or how to use me limbs. All I know is that I need
to get home.
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Chapter Thirty One: Flying Home
As Wilber sat on the leaf, he felt the wind blow against
his wings, so strong that he felt he could lift off of the ground.
I could never fly, Wilber thought.
Wilber raised his wings and began to fly.
"I'm flying!" Wilber cried. He started to flutter his
wings, and as he did, he flew higher in the sky.
Wilber soared up into the clear blue sky. He could see the woods
so far beneath him.
As Wilber flew, he began to see the city in which he had came
from. He flew toward it and began to fly over it. He saw building
after building, people walking down the street, guys on skateboards,
kids playing in their yards, and the library in which he had gained
most of his knowledge.
Wilber then remember the glasses and hat. He touched the top of
his head and realized that the hat was still there, and that it
had not changed like the rest of him.
Wilber hovered over the library, staring down at the place that
he had become so smart, so wise. He remembered the glowing worm
he had met there.
I have to find my home, Wilber thought.
Wilber began to fly over the yards that he had visited before.
He remembered Lyla, the only girl he had ever loved.
I wanna go see her again, Wilber thought, but if I do, maybe I
won't ever reach my home. I'll probably wanna stay with her, to
be with her.
Wilber shook his head and looked out in front of him, out at the
horizon. He saw the group of trees, clearly, the trees that the
owl had told him to go to find his home.
Wilber could now see everything, everything that he could never
see before. He could see the white clouds in the sky, the trees,
the tops of buildings, and farther than he could ever see before.
Wilber saw a field of flowers and swopped down into them. Feeling
hungry, he began to drink the sweet necter of the flowers. As
he drank, pollen got on his legs.
Wilber moved to the next flower and began to dink. As he drank,
he realized that he was helping the flowers grow because of the
pollen on his legs.
After drinking his fill, Wilber flew over to a pond and saw his
reflection, the reflection of a beautiful white butterfly.
I'm a butterfly, Wilber thought, a beautiful white butterfly.
As Wilber admired himself, he saw himself glowing brightly.
Wilber began to fly toward the trees again. On his way, Wilber
saw little larvys, little worms crawling about the ground. Wilber
remembered when he was just a little larvy like them, crawling
about without any legs.
As Wilber flew on, he saw catapilliars walk about, with their
many legs. Wilber remembered how wonderful it had been to have
so many legs.
Wilber then flew on and saw butterflies, hundreds of them, flying
all over. He fluttered his wings and realized that it was so wonderful
to be a butterfly. He could fly all over, and he could see everything
that he could never see before.
Wilber suddenly felt like he was home, and that this was where
he was supposed to be. He felt as if he had found his clan, and
that his search was over.
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Chapter Thirty Two: Love Or Mission
Wilber was so happy to be home, to have found his kind.
As Wilber flew along, he looked at all the butterflies, who were
flying about, chatting endlessly.
Wilber dropped down on the gound and looked around. He saw trees
everywhere, and grass, and flowers.
Suddenly, Wilber looked over and saw a beautiful yellow butterfly.
Wilber became drawn to the butterfly, as if he were supposed to
go over toward the butterfly.
Wilber walked over to the butterfly and cleared his throat.
"Hello," Wilber said. The butterfly looked at him. "It's
you!" Wilber said.
It was Lyla, his first love, his true love. Lyla had grown into
a beautiful butterfly, a yellow butterfly.
"Wilber!" Lyla cried. She hugged Wilber, wrapping her
wings around him. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"If we meant to be, then we will be." Wilber said, kissing
Lyla's cheek.
"I missed you so much." Lyla said.
As they embraced, they began to fly up into the air. They flew
around in circles, dancing in the air, their arms wrapped around
each other.
Wilber needed to deside what he had to do, if he had to
choose between the mission or Lyla.
I need to go over the rainbow bridge, Wilber thought.
Wilber began to see the colors, and as he went into the white
light, he could see the world, so far beneath him.
Wilber began to fly, through the air, and out of the atmosopher.
He began to fly to fly into space, and toward the moon. He looked
out into space, at the spinning nebula's, and at the stars in
the sky.
As Wilber flew, he could see a great light in the sky. As he flew
into the light, he remembered that he had to become a teach, and
teach other larvys that they were special, and how to go over
the rainbow bridge.
As Wilber flew on and on, he saw the light grow brighter and realized
that he didn't have to give up Lyla, or the mission.
As the light faded into darkness, Wilber felt all the fear he
had ever had, flow out of his body.
Wilber finally felt as if he belonged, as if he found his
clan, his kind.
As Wilber laid back into a tree trunk, he opened his eyes, then
closed them and waited for a new day to dawn, and a new adventure
to be explored.