A Collection of Short Stories
The Lady Bug and The Catterpillar
A lady bug and a caterpillar lived peacefully on a shrub that was planted on rich dark soil. They lived together in harmony, helping each other. They shared all their belongings, and they never once thought of keeping something from the other.
One rainy day, as the lady bug was walking on a leaf to get something to eat, she slipped and fell. Fortunately, she was able to hold on to an old, uninhabited web.
“Help me,” she cried in that lady bug voice of hers. “Help me, caterpillar. I’m falling and I don’t know what to do!”
As soon as the caterpillar heard the screams of his best friend, he rushed to where she was hanging. He saw her hanging on to the web and he knew that it would not be able to manage her weight for a long time. The threads were breaking; the seams were thinning.
Yet, the lady bug was there.
H
a
n
g
i
n
g
The caterpillar reached for her hand, but lo and behold! Instead of helping her up, he was pushed down.
So now they were both
hanging
and waiting
and hoping.
Hanging and waiting and hoping, they held on to each other.
The threads were breaking; the seams were thinning. Yet, they held on to each other, hanging, waiting and hoping.
The lady bug heard a rip in the web she was holding on to. She realized that one of them had to let go or else both of them would fall.
“I’m sorry, Caterpillar,” she wept. “I have to go. If you ever find your way up, all that I have is yours.”
So she let go and dropped onto the rich dark soil on which the shrub they lived in was planted on. She laid there, disoriented and confused. However, she was happy because she saved her best friend’s life.
The lady bug took shelter under the shade of the shrub that she used to live in, making herself comfortable in her new home. At least here, she could still see her best friend live happily from up above.
A few minutes later, as she was making herself a new bed, she heard a loud thud from behind her. She turned and was beyond shocked when she saw her best friend Caterpillar lying there, disoriented and confused.
“If we fall, we fall together,” Caterpillar said with all that he could muster. “We’ll find our way back up together.”
One rainy day, as the lady bug was walking on a leaf to get something to eat, she slipped and fell. Fortunately, she was able to hold on to an old, uninhabited web.
“Help me,” she cried in that lady bug voice of hers. “Help me, caterpillar. I’m falling and I don’t know what to do!”
As soon as the caterpillar heard the screams of his best friend, he rushed to where she was hanging. He saw her hanging on to the web and he knew that it would not be able to manage her weight for a long time. The threads were breaking; the seams were thinning.
Yet, the lady bug was there.
H
a
n
g
i
n
g
The caterpillar reached for her hand, but lo and behold! Instead of helping her up, he was pushed down.
So now they were both
hanging
and waiting
and hoping.
Hanging and waiting and hoping, they held on to each other.
The threads were breaking; the seams were thinning. Yet, they held on to each other, hanging, waiting and hoping.
The lady bug heard a rip in the web she was holding on to. She realized that one of them had to let go or else both of them would fall.
“I’m sorry, Caterpillar,” she wept. “I have to go. If you ever find your way up, all that I have is yours.”
So she let go and dropped onto the rich dark soil on which the shrub they lived in was planted on. She laid there, disoriented and confused. However, she was happy because she saved her best friend’s life.
The lady bug took shelter under the shade of the shrub that she used to live in, making herself comfortable in her new home. At least here, she could still see her best friend live happily from up above.
A few minutes later, as she was making herself a new bed, she heard a loud thud from behind her. She turned and was beyond shocked when she saw her best friend Caterpillar lying there, disoriented and confused.
“If we fall, we fall together,” Caterpillar said with all that he could muster. “We’ll find our way back up together.”