CHLOE’S PROBLEM

by E V ILASI

It was a sunny morning. Chloe the caterpillar opened her eyes and blinked. The sun was so bright she could not keep them open.

Chloe moved her head around. She opened her eyes again and blinked them shut again. The sunlight was even brighter.

“This will not do,” she said to herself and moved her head around in the other direction. “Now I should be able to open my eyes and get on with the day.”

But when she opened her eyes this time, the sunlight was even brighter than the other times, and she had to shut them even harder.

Chloe was puzzled. She wanted to get up, but the sun was too bright to open her eyes, no matter where she had her head. What was she to do?

If she did not open her eyes, she could not see. If she could not see, she could not find breakfast. If she could not find breakfast, she would not have enough energy to play with her friends. If she could not play with her friends, she would have nothing to do all day. If she had nothing to do all day, she would get bored. If she got bored, she would close her eyes and fall asleep.

But she was not tired. “What a terrible problem,” she thought. “I want to get up, so I must be able to keep my eyes open.”

“What am I going to do?” she cried out loud.

Just then she heard a sound right above her. “Hello!” she yelled out. “Can you help me?”

“Good morning Chloe. Why aren’t you up yet?”

It was Bobby the butterfly. Chloe knew him. They used to play together when Bobby was a caterpillar.

“Oh, Bobby,” Chloe said. “I’m so glad you are here. Every time I try to open my eyes, the sunlight makes me close them again. If I do not open my eyes, I cannot see. If I cannot see, I cannot find breakfast, or play with my friends. Then I will have nothing to do and I will get bored, and fall asleep. I am not tired, so I need to be able to open my eyes. Can you help me please?”

Bobby thought and thought about Chloe’s problem. Then he said, “I think I can help you keep the sun off your head and out of your eyes.”

Chloe heard Bobby coming in very close to her. She wondered what Bobby could do to solve the problem.

“Open your eyes now Chloe,” Bobby said.

It was a miracle. Chloe opened her eyes, and there was sunlight all around, but where she was, there was shade. She looked up. There was Bobby fluttering right above her head. He was blocking the sunlight with his wings.

“You should get into the shade as quickly as you can Chloe. I am not a hummingbird, so I cannot stay in the same place for very long. I will follow you and be your umbrella until you get out of the sunlight.”

Chloe began to move around the tree trunk into the shade. Bobby followed her, his wings keeping the sunlight out of her eyes.

“Oh thank you Bobby,” Chloe said. “Now that I am in the shade I can find breakfast. Then I can play with my friends. Because I will have something to do, I will not get bored, so I will not fall asleep. That is very good, because I am not tired. You are a hero! You saved my day.”

Bobby smiled and landed on the tree trunk next to her. “You’re welcome Chloe. I am glad I could help.”

Chloe looked at Bobby. “Would you like to play with me after I eat my breakfast?”

“Chloe,” Bobby laughed as he said her name. “I like to play in the sunlight. You like to play in the shade. How can we play together?”

Chloe frowned. He was right. She did not like to play in the sun. Caterpillars always played in the shade.

“Don’t be sad,” Bobby said. “Soon you will be a butterfly. Then you will want to play in the sunlight too. We can play together then.”

Chloe wasn’t sure she would ever like the bright sunlight. Bobby said she would when she was a butterfly. Bobby had never fibbed to her and he had helped her, so he must be telling her the truth.

Bobby smiled, waved his wings at her and started to fly away into the sunlight. “Sure,” she said happily, “I will play with you when I am a butterfly…”

“…but only if the sunlight doesn’t hurt my eyes,” she yelled to him.

“You never know,” Chloe thought to herself, “the sunlight could hurt my eyes, …even after I become a butterfly.”

Just then, her belly rumbled. One problem solved a new one to take its place.

Chloe sighed. “Now, where am I going to find breakfast?”

THE END

I wrote this story over 20 years ago. It's nice to have a medium to share it through. Thanks to my daughter for introducing me to FictionPress. I dedicate this story, which she's never read, to her with love. E V Ilasi

Also, reviews would be nice. Thanks!