A Butterfly Set Free

• Vaishnevi Arunagiriraj, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2020

A Butterfly Set Free

The lab reeked of a disinfectant smell, a big contrast to the fragrant scent outside its windows. Ada sat rigid like a soldier, at the corner of the room, overlooking the other students examining the butterflies. She wondered why her teacher placed her in a group of three with two of the ‘cool’ girls. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of fear just standing next to those predators. Gazing outside the window, she saw the butterflies flying gracefully, while the class examined the dead species, pinned to boards in glass boxes.

Mrs Paige, in her lab coat, opened the lids of the display boxes, exclaiming, “Please examine the species, Lepidoptera, but do not touch them!”.

Immediately, Amanda Miller, who never listened to teacher instructions, started jabbing her pointy finger at the guiltless butterfly. Her best mate, Natalie, giggled in the background. As Ada looked on, she felt miserable seeing the butterfly being mistreated. Then an unpleasant memory flashed in her mind. A time when she was helpless; but more like a melancholy moth, than a beautiful, trapped butterfly. The memory words pinned her down:

“Hey ugly face, why is your hair so knotty, it smells as bad as a skunk”, echoed Amanda’s raspy voice, in Ada’s mind.

Then rip!!!

Natalie, in her usual sly way, pulled out the wings of the largest specimen; a Queen Alexander Birdwing, the biggest butterfly on the planet (or so Mrs Paige said). The two, impudent girls began to snigger like a couple of witches cackling over a victim they had cast an evil spell on. They both pointed their spindly fingers at the stooped figure of Ada, standing next to them.

“Ada! Ada did it!” they exclaimed. Mrs Paige was furious, her eyes bulged and her cheeks flushed a deep red as if traffic lights had come to a sudden stop. Then, her eyes narrowed to a slant as she looked quizzically at all the girls. Suddenly, Mrs Paige asked to see the girls’ hands. Spotting patches of iridescent dust on Natalie’s hand, her face grew a furrowed look as her forehead wrinkled.

“Natalie and Amanda. Straight to Principal Mason’s office, now!” the teacher shouted, more loudly than Ada had ever heard her proclaim before.

Scribbling a note to the Principal, the teacher handed it to Ada and told her to accompany the now pale-faced girls, caught in a trapped net, like the once flying butterflies.

Soon, Ada was standing beside the polished windows in the Principal’s office, while Amanda and Natalie apologised. Their heads drooped and Ada could barely hear their muttered ‘Sorry’.

Her eyes were focused now on the other insects fluttering outside, as the wind carried them away. They were free, and like them, she felt the wind carrying her higher. Away from the Principal’s office, away from the two bullies, away into a safe and secure sky.

Free!