Gussy's big wish

Shyamala Mani Iyer writes how a caterpillar learns about beauty and kindness.

Gussy the caterpillar was sad. Everyone called him creepy and ugly. He looked around him.

The butterflies flitting about were so colourful.

The birds chirping on the trees were beautiful in their own way. Even the snail crawling slowly on the ground had a sheen on its body!

“Why are you so sad?” asked a voice. He looked down and found Lily the ladybird sitting beside him.

“I want to be beautiful so people like me. Everyone thinks I am creepy and avoids me.”

“Oh!” said Lily. Then she said, “Why don’t you ask the Wise Old Owl? He might be able to help you.”

“Who is the Wise Old Owl? And where can I find him?” asked Gussy.

“He is an old owl who lives on a huge banyan tree in the Dark Forest. I have heard my parents speak about him,” said Lily.

“The Dark Forest?” said Gussy, horrified. He had heard terrible tales about the forest and the creatures who lived there. “Where is it?” he asked in a trembling voice.

“You have to cross the Grove of Peacocks and the Lake of Shimmering Fish to reach there.”

Gussy had heard of the Grove of Peacocks and the Lake of Shimmering Fish also. It was a long way off. But he was determined to be beautiful and so decided to set off immediately.

He said goodbye to the little ladybird and set off. He travelled most of the morning and reached the Grove of Peacocks. He peeped timidly through the grass and saw the peacocks dancing. He tried to move in between their dancing legs to the other side. Just then, one of the peacocks saw him and called, “Look! An ugly caterpillar!” and tried to trample him. The other peacocks laughed as he struggled to escape their legs.

Just then someone picked him up and, flying up, put him gently on the grass on the other side of the grove. He looked to see who his saviour was. It was a bee.

“Hello, thanks for saving me,” said Gussy.

“That’s okay. I don’t like the peacocks either. They are perpetually trying to catch me as I sit on the flowers.”

Gussy continued on his journey and reached the Lake of Shimmering Fish. Looking at the water, he realised why it was called so. The lake was full of shimmering fish in lovely colours of gold, red, blue and purple. There was a small causeway across the lake, and Gussy crawled onto it.

The fish gathered around him immediately. They started teasing him, pushing him hither and thither. Gussy tried to wriggle his way across, but it was of no use. He was afraid he would fall into the water and drown.

Just then, someone pushed him gently onto a leaf and deftly rowed him across the lake. He dared to breathe only after he had reached the other side. When he looked to see who his saviour was, he found it was an ant.

“Thanks!” he said.

It was almost sunset when he reached the banyan tree where the Wise Old Owl stayed. The Wise Old Owl stayed in a big hole right on top of the tree. He reached the hole where the Owl stayed and called to him, “Wise Old Owl, I have come to see you.”

“What do you want?” asked the Owl.

“Everyone calls me ugly. I want to be beautiful,” said Gussy.

“It’s not important to be beautiful. It’s more important to be kind,” said the Owl. “Also, sometimes one has to be patient to be beautiful.”

“Thanks,” said Gussy, as the Owl went into his hole and shut the door. As he crawled down the tree, he wondered about what the Owl had said.

“It’s more important to be kind”, the Owl had said. He didn’t understand at first. Then he remembered the honeybee and the ant who had helped him. They weren’t particularly beautiful, but they had been kind. And the peacocks and fish had been beautiful but not at all kind. Perhaps that’s what the Owl had meant.

Gussy reached the Lake of Shimmering Fish. The fish were sleeping and didn’t stop him. When he reached the Grove of Peacocks, they were asleep too. When he reached the plant which he thought of as home, he wondered about “Sometimes one has to be patient to be beautiful.” He didn’t understand that one. Suddenly he felt hungry. He ate and ate and then fell asleep.

When he woke up, he didn’t recognise himself! He had turned into a gorgeous butterfly with red and gold wings. The children around cried, “What a beautiful butterfly!”

Gussy was happy. He remembered what the Owl had said about being patient to be beautiful. He also remembered the importance of being kind. So, as he flitted from flower to flower, picking the nectar from each flower, he also gathered some pollen, which he deposited into another flower. That way the flowers grew and the garden flourished.

Gussy was finally happy. He was not only beautiful but also kind!