Caterpillar Farewell
Stripped leaves on her tomato plants. She had to find out why. Flashlight shining in the dark. Nothing. Then she saw it. Camouflaged, green like the vines it was climbing. A big, fat caterpillar.
She put her gloves on, picked it up, gingerly. It wiggled, trying to squirm free. She put it on the concrete, hit it with a brick. Green goop squashed out, life ended.
She threw up on the grill her husband used for barbecuing steaks and hamburgers when the air was filled with fireworks on the 4th of July.
She could still feel it in her hand, moving desperately. How badly it had wanted to live.
She found four more and put them in a jar. She drove out to the country and set them free.
“Goodbye caterpillars,” she said.
They would find some nice plants with juicy stems. They would grow big and strong, then spin little chrysalises. In a few weeks, she’d say hello to four new butterflies.
Dear Readers, These seven stories are now available on both Kindle and Nook for your reading pleasure. Best wishes, Ray Adams
Book art by: Noel Gonzalez
http://noelgonzalez.com/contact.html

















