First Steps Together

Lily the ladybug felt a tiny tremor of hope flutter in her heart. The wise old butterfly, Jasmyn, with wings like stained glass windows painted by the sun, had landed gently beside her. Jasmyn’s antennae twitched with a kindness that warmed Lily from her tiny head to her little black feet. “Oh, little one,” Jasmyn’s voice was like the soft rustle of leaves on a summer breeze, “you look so lost.”

Lily, still damp and a little shaky from the storm, managed a small nod. “I am, Jasmyn. My home… Tom’s home… they’re all gone. And Tom… I don’t know where he is.” A tear, like a tiny dewdrop, welled in her eye and traced a glistening path down her cheek. She felt so small, so utterly insignificant against the vast, changed meadow.

Jasmyn tilted her head, her large, compound eyes seeming to see right into Lily’s worried soul. “The storm was fierce, wasn’t it? It took much from us all. But it did not take everything, little ladybug. It did not take your courage.”