A new short story - Daydreaming

July 20, 2022

Bethany sat at her desk, bored and not wanting to do her schoolwork, instead stared out her bedroom window.

The day was a bit gray and rainy, though it had been mostly a constant drizzle since early morning. Algebra and history homework couldn't hold her attention that afternoon, but the birds chirping in the tree outside her window? Yes, they had caught her attention. And she daydreamed—

***

"Hello Mr. Caterpillar, how are you?"

"Oh, Hi Ms. Robin, I'm very well today, and you?" Mr. Caterpillar is always too polite.

"I'm good. I love this cool weather, don't you?"

Mr. Caterpillar slowly munched on a leaf and paused just long enough to say, "Indeed I do. It is most refreshing. What are your plans for this wonderful day?"

"I'm going to relax, then fly around and watch the humans below, then relax some more."

"That sounds like an interesting thing to do. I cannot fly."

"Indeed you can't, but you can watch them from up here."

"Yes, that is true. But it is not often that humans walk below this tree."

A big black crow landed on the same branch and caused it to bounce, almost knocking Mr. Caterpillar off the branch. "Hey! Crow! What do you think you're doing?" Mr. Caterpillar just about went for a flight and was not happy about it.

"Oh, dear me! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there Mr. Caterpillar. Why are you way up here? You are much higher in the tree than you ever climb."

"Yes, well, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going and this is where I find myself. And you should be more careful when landing on a small limb where others are peacefully enjoying a snack." Mr. Caterpillar was still shaking because of his narrow escape from meeting his maker.

"Hello, Mr. Crow, how are you today?"

"Oh, hello Ms. Robin, pleased to see you. I'm good today. I love this cool weather, don't you?"

"Yes, it's a wonderful day!"

"Hmm, I wonder if one of you could help me reach a lower branch?" Mr. Caterpillar looked down at the lower branches and wanted so much to be down there, closer to the earth. He didn't like those heights.

"Really? You want one of us to take you in our claws and fly you down there?" Mr. Crow thought Mr. Caterpillar was out of his mind.

"Well, now that you put it that way, no. But, how can I get down there?"

"I think we need another bird, or maybe two, or more, and I think the branch will bend close enough for you to jump down to that next branch." As Ms. Robin said this Mr. Bushytail, a squirrel, appeared on the limb next to the tree trunk.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little, scaredy-cat caterpillar finds himself too high in the tree? What's the problem Mr. Caterpillar, afraid of heights?" Mr. Bushytail raised up his front feet and pounded down on the branch a couple of times, scaring Mr. Caterpillar.

"Stop teasing him, Mr. Bushytail," scolded Ms. Robin.

"Leave him alone, squirrel, and walk out here on the branch and join us for some conver." Mr. Crow likes to try to sound contemporary, but it does not always work.

"Seriously? Why should I come out there?"

"Don't be like that; come out here so we can help Mr. Caterpillar get down to the branch below." Ms. Robin was not happy with Mr. Bushytail because he is always so snobbish and arrogant to everyone else. And, there he went, he ran down the tree trunk and across the yard. "That squirrel! Oh!"

"It's okay, Ms. Robin, we don't need his help. I'll find a couple of my friends. Back in a flash!" Away flew Mr. Crow to the wires across the street to round up a few friends.

"Just another minute or two Mr. Caterpillar and you'll soon be down on a lower branch."

"Thank you for your help, Ms. Robin. You and Mr. Crow are good friends." Mr. Caterpillar went back to munching on a delicious leaf.

A few minutes later Mr. Crow returned and landed gently on the branch, followed by three of his friends. The last to land on the branch did so with quite a thud, and the branch was bouncing up and down wildly. While this was accidental because that crow did not know about Mr. Caterpillar, it caused Mr. Caterpillar to bounce high off the limb, his six little legs wiggling around wildly in the air.

"No, Mr. Caterpillar, you can't fly!" Ms. Robin panicked and tried to grab him in her beak but she missed. Mr. Crow flew off the limb and grabbed the little caterpillar with one foot, squeezing the little guy tight in his claws.

"Oh! Mr. Crow! You're squeezing me too tight! Please, put me down on that branch below!" Mr. Caterpillar was barely able to get the words out because of the squeezing of his little body.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Caterpillar. I could have just let you fall I suppose."

"No, Mr. Crow, thank you for saving my life. I really do mean that. Thank you so very much. The only problem was you were squeezing me almost to the point of death."

"I didn't realize I had such a tight hold of you, I'm sorry about that. At least you are now safe and on a lower branch. I hope you feel better now."

Ms. Robin flew down and gently landed on the branch nearby, "Are you okay, Mr. Caterpillar?" She was nervous about Mr. Crow holding Mr. Caterpillar in his claw.

"Oh yes, Ms. Robin, I'm fine, just dizzy and shaken by that experience."

"I'm sure you are, Mr. Caterpillar. What a frightening thing to have happened to you!"

A couple of other crows flew down and landed on the branch next to Ms. Robin and the one that bounced the branch said, "I'm so sorry Mr. Caterpillar! Please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Blacktail, I forgive you. Please be more careful when you land on a branch, you do not know who else might be on that branch eating their lunch."

"Thank you, Mr. Caterpillar, thank you. I see you are all right, I'm glad for that."

"So am I."

***

"Bethany! Beth sweetie! Dinner's ready!" Her mother's voice woke Bethany from her daydream. Wow, that was a strange dream—Mr. Caterpillar, Ms. Robin, Mr. Crow, and the others. How did I come up with such a daydream?

"How's your studying coming along, dear?"

"Oh, fine. I still have some math and history to do."

"Still to do? Isn't that all you had to do? What have you been doing all afternoon? Daydreaming?"

"Mom," she laughed, "um, well, actually, yes. The silliest dream I think I've ever had."

"Well my dear, you have to stop daydreaming and get your homework done."

"Yes, Mom, I will, right after dinner."