Transform in Peace

I was in the kitchen, multi tasking.  The 8:30AM conference call was up in my ears.  How much extra brainpower is needed to listen and while you boil a pot of water?  I’m on mute, so I chop vegies for my smoothie and grind it all up.  My younger one is now up as well.  I make gestures to clarify that I am on the phone.  She quietly makes gestures to indicate that we have a new blender device.  I make gestures to appreciate this and suggest I must carry on. 

Turning I saw what appeared to be a remarkable refrigerator magnate.  It was a perfect facsimile of a yellow butterfly sitting there on the counter.  But as I stared, still participating in this conference call on mute and still vaguely communicating with my daughter, as she bounced around the kitchen, I realized that those insect refrigerators magnates were something I’d bought for my mother and stepfather’s home.  They were displayed on their refrigerator, halfway around the world . What was that doing here? 

Stooping closer, I realized that it was a real butterfly.  It struck me then that this was the same caterpillar we’d had on our parsley, who disappeared two weeks back.  He must have found a quiet place to spin his cocoon and transform in peace.  I gestured to my daughter who put two-and-two together as quickly as I had.  Fortunately my call was ending and we photographed the butterfly and considered what we should do. 

Later, after my wife and the older one had all confirmed that we had a butterfly in the kitchen and that this was most likely, that butterfly, we agreed the next stop for him was the great outdoors.  He’s got a lot to figure out and this kitchen is a dangerous place in the long run.  My wife took a step towards the drawer and made a horrible face.  “You didn’t?”  My daughters and I were convinced she’d mushed the winged one.  Audible screams.  But she hadn’t.  And with this, we expedited the “get to know your new neighborhood” tour.  We put him out near the hedge and suggested he practice flying and move on soon, before the birds became interested.  My assumption is that he now knows what to do.   Do new butterflies get any more training than this?