Benjamin's Bugs
Benjamin had found a big, fat, furry caterpillar, and was holding it, carefully, in the palm of his chubby little hand.
When Benjamin was four years old, he loved bugs. Any and all kinds of bugs. I was quite certain that he was headed for a career in entomology. He wouldn’t then, nor to this day, harm a fly.
Our condo complex had a couple of tennis courts, and now and then, my husband would invite a friend to join him in a match, and occasionally he would ask me. It was great exercise for me, chasing the ball all over the court. For Benjamin, it was a real treat to ride his bright red and yellow big wheel to the tennis courts, to watch Ben play.
On one such day, when the spring sky was a vivid blue, and the air still crisp, Ben and his friend, Ransom, walked down to the courts, with Benjamin pedaling behind them.While Ben and Ransom played a couple of sets, Benjamin amused himself, looking for bugs Spying an ant hill, he tugged a bottle cap from the pocket of his blue jeans, and placed it over the trail of ants, being very careful not to squish any of them. He would then lift the cap, and release his tiny “prisoners”, and watch them catch up to the rest of the trail. He did this for a bit, got bored, and began searching for other kinds of bugs.
By the time Ben and Ransom had finished playing, Benjamin had found a big, fat, furry caterpillar, and was holding it, carefully, in the palm of his chubby little hand. He placed it, oh so gently, on the handle bars of his big wheel, and set off behind the guys. As misfortune would have it, his furry little friend fell from the handlebars, and onto the big plastic wheel of his trike. Before Benjamin could stop, the caterpillar fell to the ground, and was squashed by the big wheel.
At first, Benjamin made no sound, and his eyes grew wide with shock. He looked down at the body of his poor friend, and began to wail, with tears streaming down his little red cheeks. His four-year-old shoulders shaking as he caught his breath, and then began to wail again. Wiping the tears and runny nose with the back of his hand, and then on the sleeve of his Batman shirt. Ben tried to comfort him, and Ransom got on one knee, close to Benjamin. Looking right into Benjamin’s eyes, he told him the story of “caterpillar heaven”, and how his friend didn’t hurt, and he knew it was an accident. Benjamin studied Ransom’s face, and slowly began to nod, wanting to believe the story. He had stopped crying, and began to breathe, with an occasional hiccup.
Benjamin grew up to be a gentle soul, follows a strict vegan diet, and is a card-carrying member of PETA.
Caterpillar heaven, Yep, that's where I want to go !! Very sweet story Sharon. Loved it
A lot of love and caring shown by the adults in this story. I'm glad Benjamin got over the caterpillar incident and grew up to love all creatures.