The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Small Talk Saves

Ever perceptible Roci had noticed something moving along the top of the hill that she had just flown over. She turned to start climbing back up still not sure quite which direction to go nor what she would encounter once she got there. Something flittered past her nose.

"Mosquito! Eeww!"

She swatted at the critter, missed, and hit herself in the face.

"Ouch! That hurt! I think I might have rather been bitten by that bloodsucker. But, then I'd be scratching myself for a day or more."

Adding to her perceptive skills was a sound reasoning ability gained from summer classes in debate, public speaking, analytical writing and everything else her parents thought would eventually help her get into a top university. Make that a very top university, Ivy league university.

"A short term intense pain is better than a long term annoying distraction," Roci told herself.

She continued with her monologue, "For someone who gets the best grades in our class (she always enjoyed knowing this though she would never say it out loud in front of her friends. 'That's not the Christian way,' she would think to herself smugly) you'd think I wouldn't be so dumb as to hit myself so hard."

The creature landed on her left ear.

Roci took a swing while cocking her head to the right at the same time. She barely flicked her ear but still screeched, "Yeesh! What's wrong with me?"

The mountain air had cooled enough for her fingertips and ears to become more sensitive to the cold. "There might even be frost before long if I am out here all night," she calculated.

The winged insect jumped from her ear, performed some acrobatics and landed on her head. Roci realized instantly that the personal space intruder was not a mosquito nor a fly. She could feel its weight as it perched just above the emerald green ribbon she used to tie her ponytail back. Her unicorn hood had deflated like a used parachute and fallen off her head and down her back. Roci reached behind her to make sure the horn was safely hidden beneath.

"Maybe it's a moth of some kind. Eeewww! Still, I will NOT be afraid!" she told herself with emphasis on the 'not.'

She shook herself like a horse does when it wants to shake its mane. The weight lifted from her ponytail. Then returned.

Roci walked up alongside the creek bank. Slowly she bent over and peered into the water which mirrored her reflection.

"If it's moth it's a big one."

She raised her right arm slowly this time. She wanted to position herself so she could see what was on her head before she shooed it away.

With the moon at her back, staring into the water, she waved her hand as if she were saying 'goodbye' to a friend for the weekend. The creature alighted briefly then settled back down. It then whooshed its wings and went straight up, began to flit back and forth, up and down in all sorts of irregular patterns.

Roci wanted to see geometric shapes in the flight paths created by her visitor.

"Too irregular to predict. I need more data," she said, imitating her dad.

"I can't be sure, but I think it might be a ..."

The little winged bug flew straight up, took a hard right, dove downwards, took another hard left angled away from Roci, then darted up in a sort of twirling motion.

Roci slowly put out her left hand, palm upwards.

She planned to use her more powerful and quicker right hand to squash the thing IF something so drastic was called for.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world for someone, or something to do, the creature, with perfect control of its wings and direction, descended into her palm, shuffled its feet, turned and stared right at Roci.

"Why, why, you are a butterfly! And a beautiful one at that."

The butterfly almost appeared to bow in greeting Roci. But we know, that butterflies would never do such a thing. Right?

"Of course, a butterfly as beautiful as you would choose me to ..." She caught herself before finishing her sentence, then looked around to be sure no one was nearby and said "to befriend. Wouldn't you precious one?"

"You are a monarch butterfly. I can see that even in the dark. Your wings are gorgeous. The deep burnt orange contrasting with the black. Aren't you afraid I will squash you? What are you doing out here in the dark? Are you alone? Where is your family? Your friends? Why are you flying around me?" Roci was used to being peppered with questions and not given a chance to answer.

Now Roci had so many questions that even the flying little princess could answer, which it couldn't, Roci gave it no time to answer.

"I'll bet you are a princess among Monarch butterflies! I am right. Aren't I?"

The butterfly jumped straight up and flew away.

"Where are you going? Please don't go."

The butterfly stopped a few feet away, landing on a tree branch that hung out over the creek. The butterfly turned and looked at Roci.

"Do you want to say something? Oh, I know you can't talk. Why?! Instead of violin lessons, Chinese lessons, gymnastics and what not, why didn't my mom send me to butterfly speaking lessons? Then we could talk, couldn't we? Can I call you Ota? Ota is one of my favorite princesses. She was a princess in ancient times, in Japan. I read about you in my Japanese history class I took during summer school. I do hope you are a female butterfly."

Ota jumped to another branch a bit farther out of Roci's reach. Then back to the branch where it had first landed. Then again to the branch that was farther away. Ota turned and looked at Roci after each jump, er, flight.

"I cannot be sure but I do think you might want me to follow you. That doesn't make sense. Why would you ..."

Before Roci could finish Ota jumped back and forth a few more times.

"Well, I do seem to be lost here at the bottom of this cliff. Unharmed, thanks to these awful trees. I guess I should be thankful but who can be thankful to or for things that are so frightening? And since I really don't have any better idea at the moment, well, I think I will go with you. I mean, I will go in the same direction as you. I can't have people thinking that I let a butterfly lead me. Now can I? Oh! And you won't tell anybody I am lost, please." Roci didn't ask Ota, she commanded her, not realizing her impropriety at the arrangement.

Ota didn't seem to be mind or to be listening to Roci's ramblings. Ota just jumped back and forth till Roci started in her direction.

Roci looked down to find some well placed rocks that she could use to step across the creek.

Ota flew to the opposite side of the creek from Roci. Roci stepped in the direction of Ota on the first rock, then another.

"Well. Okay then. Where you go, I will go ..." Roci began to dramatize her best Ruth imitation when Ruth said she would follow Naomi.

"But you must promise not to tell anyone. Okay?"

Ota took off and Roci followed not at all sure where they were headed.