The day faith was born

The chubby green caterpillar rolled on the leaf rubbing its belly. Suddenly it burped and giggled. As always, he had over eaten. A nibble here, a gobble there and life could never get tastier. He lay at the centre of the plant, his hands behind his head in absolute contentment as he watched the blue skies.

Suddenly, out of nowhere there was a flash of colours and a beautiful butterfly came to the leaf and gently unfurled her dainty legs to rest a while. The talkative caterpillar felt oddly tongue tied. Never before had he seen something so magnificent and he didn't know what to do. Luckily the butterfly fluttered its wings and asked, "Hello little caterpillar, how are you today?"

The caterpillar blushed and said, "I am doing very well indeed! And you?" The butterfly replied, "I am on top of the world!" The caterpillar was awestruck. He asked, "What is the world, pretty creature?" "The world," replied the butterfly, "is that wonderful place that you can see, smell and touch." "Oh" said the fat caterpillar, "My world is this leaf. And I am so happy to be here." He burped happily.

The butterfly looked disappointed for a moment, but said nothing. The caterpillar, unable to bear the silence, asked, "So tell me, what makes you so beautiful?" The butterfly replied, "My wings!" The caterpillar asked shyly, "Can I touch them?" The butterfly proudly spread them and the caterpillar climbed upon it and rolled around to feel the soft, silky length of the wings.

"Can you take me to see your world?" asked the caterpillar - his eyes suddenly popping with excitement. The butterfly shook her head in dismay and said, "No, I can't. My wings are enough only to carry me." The caterpillar was moved to tears - choking back sobs he asked, "Is there any way I can get wings?"

Enthused, the butterfly said, "I was hoping you would ask me this caterpillar! Yes, yes, you can get wings. I got my wings too! I wasn't born with them!" Unable to believe his ears the caterpillar asked, "How, tell me this moment, how?" The butterfly scrunched her face in concentration and said, "You know what, caterpillar, I just can't remember. All I can tell you is that I believed with all my heart that I would develop wings and one morning I had wings. Anyhow, it's getting dark, I must leave…" with that she fluttered away.

The caterpillar was deeply disappointed. What did the butterfly mean by the words, I believed with all my heart that I would develop wings? The caterpillar closed his eyes, rolled over and said to himself, "I believe will all my heart that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will have wings". With hope in his heart he went to sleep. The entire night he dreamt of colours, soft wings and the mysterious place called the world.

When he woke up, he immediately jumped up to check his backside. Had the wings arrived? But, oh, all he could see was his green, hairy behind. He couldn't help himself - he immediately burst into tears. After the crying was done, the caterpillar just lay on his tummy, with his hands under his chin, wondering what to do to get the wings. He wanted them so badly. He wanted them more than anything else. He wanted the wings more than he even wanted food, or for that matter, air. Suddenly a thought crossed his head, "The beautiful butterfly said that I have to believe… believe with all my heart that it will happen. Hoping is not believing, is it? Hoping is just hoping, but believing is knowing, is it not? I will not hope any more - I will believe!"

That night, with renewed belief, the caterpillar slept off keeping the single sentence alive in his mind, "I believe with all my heart that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will have wings." The next morning he once again checked for the wings, but alas, no wings had arrived. He cried for the wings but the wings didn't come. He screamed for the wings but the wings didn't come. He rolled all over the leaf throwing a tantrum but alas, no wings at all. Exhausted, he lay on the leaf watching the sun set. Suddenly the thought struck him, that the sun set every evening at an appointed time. Just because the caterpillar wanted it to set early, it wouldn't. He giggled to himself in knowledge, "The wings will come, when the wings will come. The butterfly had said that they came one morning for her - which morning, I can't decide that. I just have to keep believing…"

With excitement, he closed his eyes, hoping for a new tomorrow. Somewhere in the slumber, hope transformed into belief, and desperation for the wings changed into a happy waiting for the wings to arrive. The next morning when he woke up, the strangest thing had happened. The caterpillar found himself inside a dark shell and he could no longer see the skies. With no leaves to eat, he knew he must soon die. And yet, the only sentence that he kept remembering was, "I believe with all my heart that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will have wings." It was becoming extremely difficult for the caterpillar to breathe - he felt like death was just around the corner. He shut his eyes tightly and held on the last image in his mind: the beautiful butterfly with its fluttering wings. With that, he breathed his last.

The older butterfly, who had met the caterpillar before came to chat with him once again. She looked for him on the leaf, under the leaf, besides the stalk - but he was nowhere to be seen. Dismayed she just sat there when suddenly she saw a flutter of wings. A beautiful, large, yellow and black butterfly was watching her. She bated her eyelashes, and sighed. It was love at first sight. She asked him shyly, "Do I know you?" And he replied, "I don't remember. In fact, all I can remember about my life is a single sentence: "I believed with all my heart that I would get wings… strange huh?" The butterfly smiled, realization dawning upon her. In losing himself, the caterpillar had become a butterfly. And then suddenly goose bumps prickled her entire body as it struck her that once upon a time, she herself had only been a caterpillar! Awestruck, she watched him, and he watched her right back. Together, they smiled. And then, as if their bodies were entwined, with one gentle flutter of the wings, they took off. The world was waiting…