THE VERY VAIN BUTTERFLY

In the meadow full of beautiful flowers, there lived a beautiful butterfly. This butterfly had wings that looked like two small rainbows. He had never seen another creature as beautiful as he was, and because of this, he believed he was the most beautiful butterfly in the world. 

When the vain butterfly decided it was time to choose a wife, he flew through the daisies and clover and headed straight to the roses. He knew that the most beautiful butterflies in the meadow liked to linger on the roses at the edge of the field. Like the butterflies, the roses were the most beautiful flowers in the  meadow. The butterfly searched the deep red roses and found a small pink butterfly hiding inside. He praised the pink butterfly telling her how pretty her wings were.

He praised the pink butterfly telling her how pretty her wings were. The pink butterfly smiled and thanked the vain butterfly for his compliment. When she spoke, her voice sounded like a hammer hitting against a tin can. The vain butterfly made a disgusted face and backed up. “I’m sorry! But I could never marry you. Even if your wings are almost as pretty as mine. Your voice is too shrill,” the vain butterfly said. And he flew away, leaving the pretty pink butterfly in tears.

The vain butterfly flew away from the roses and went to a patch of purple lilac next. He knew that the second most beautiful butterflies liked to eat there. There was a purple butterfly resting on the lilac, her wings folded shut. The vain butterfly was amazed by how well hidden she was because her wings matched the lilacs perfectly. He decided he would like to have a wife who could camouflage herself so well. 

So, the vain butterfly flew down and praised the purple butterfly. “My how lovely you are! You are the prettiest shade of purple I’ve ever seen,” he said. The purple butterfly giggled and her voice sounded like music. “Will you please fly away with me and be my wife?” the vain butterfly asked. “Oh yes!” the purple butterfly replied, spreading her wings wide. The vain butterfly made a face in disgust.

The purple butterfly had a small tear in one of her wings. The vain butterfly turned away from her and said, “I’m sorry. I changed my mind. Your wings aren’t perfect like mine!” He flapped his beautiful wings and flew away as the purple butterfly cried.

By now, all of the other butterflies had chosen wives, and the meadow was almost empty. The vain butterfly was about to give up when he heard a small voice call out of him. He turned toward a patch of daisies and saw a small yellow butterfly resting there. The butterfly had no markings on her wings and she was the smallest butterfly he had ever seen.Her voice was tiny and got lost on the wind.

“Excuse me! I haven’t been chosen to be someone’s wife yet!” the small butterfly whispered again. The vain butterfly laughed. He laughed so hard that his wings shook. “You? Why would I choose you? You’re too plain to be my wife!” he cried. And he flew away.

Later that afternoon, after all of the butterflies, had flown away with their wives, the vain butterfly sat alone among a patch of sunflowers. He let the sun warm his wings as he stretched them in the bright light. He didn’t see the danger that lurked behind him.

Close by was a young girl who had never seen a butterfly with rainbow colored wings before. She crept up behind the butterfly with a net in her hand. While the vain butterfly closed his eyes to take his afternoon nap, the young girl dipped the net down on the sunflowers and scooped up the butterfly. She gently dropped it into the jar and screwed the lid on tight. The vain butterfly flapped his wings with all his might, but he couldn’t escape. The young girl carried the jar home and set it on her windowsill where she could admire his beauty.

Days passed and the vain butterfly watched as the other butterflies fly happily in the open air. One day, the pink butterfly from the rose bush came to rest on the windowsill. The vain butterfly pressed his rainbow colored wings against the glass. “Help me!” he cried. “My voice is too shrill to help,” she said and flew away. 

Later, the purple butterfly from the lilac came to rest on the windowsill. “Please, help me!” the vain butterfly cried. “I can’t help! My wing has a tear in it,” she said and flew away. Time went by and the vain butterfly had given of hope of ever escaping.

Then, one day, the small yellow butterfly that vain butterfly had laughed at came to rest on a windowsill. “Will you help me?” the vain butterfly asked in a sad voice. “I’ll try!” the yellow butterfly said. She flew to the other side of the jar and pushed with all of her strength. Very slowly, the jar moved towards the edge of the window. All at once, the jar fell out of the window and landed on the ground below. Glass shattered and the vain butterfly flew out of the trap. “Thank you! You saved me,” the vain butterfly cried happily.

The yellow butterfly blushed, and in that moment, the vain butterfly thought that the yellow butterfly was the most beautiful butterfly he had ever seen. “I was wrong. You’re not plain, you’re beautiful! Will you forgive me for being so vain? Will you marry me?” he asked. “I would love to marry you!” the yellow butterfly cried. And wing in wing, the flew into the sunset together.