Butterfly Girl

     The little girl sits cross-legged in the grass. Her stubby fingers grasp at the sky towards two fluttering butterflies. They dance together, encircling one another as they quiver through the air. The black streaks that outline their wings highlight the orange coloring and white freckles. The girl, entranced by their delicate dance, watches with a toothy grin as one of the butterflies lands on the crease of her outstretched arm. It rests for a second and cleans its spiral tongue, slowly batting its wings while the other perches on the crown of her head. She giggles, feeling their dainty legs tickle her skin as she holds herself perfectly still, careful not to frighten these unusually trusting creatures. The one on her arm scales further up towards her shoulder, and flaps its wings once more before taking off and orbiting around the little girl’s head until the other joins. She watches as they chase each other up into the trees before losing them in a tangle of rustling leaves.