Dreamcatcher

7

The decided date for butterfly-catching was the following Saturday afternoon. Chase was utterly horrified after learning that Aerial didn't own a cell phone and promptly gave her his old one, and despite it having several cracks through it, Aerial took it graciously.

When trying to use the map app, however, Aerial realized she had no clue what any of the colored buttons did. Of course she had seen phones before, especially on the streets and when Chase used his, but now it was like she was an alien in an entirely different dimension. It didn't help that the cracks looked like spiderwebs and made it more difficult for her to see the screen.

"At least you know how to call me," Chase said over the phone. His voice was like static partly due to the phone's age, and Aerial felt herself flinching and moving the phone away from her face.

"Just my luck. The volume button just has to be broken."

"Oh, right. I forgot to warn you about that." Aerial could picture Chase's sheepish grin over the phone.

"How do you even use this thing?" The young girl fumbled with the buttons, eventually deciding on simply giving up. "It's so annoying trying to find the letters one-by-one on the letter pad."

Chase let out a chuckle from the other side. "You mean the keyboard? You'll get the hang of it later. I'm just surprised you've never been exposed to a phone before."

"Parents never gave me one. Simple as that."

By the time Aerial was done talking, she had finished entering the directions to Moores Park and began to make her way there. Chase was right; it wasn't too far away from where he lived. It took around five minutes by foot.

"You brought the nets, Chase?"

"Mhm-hm. Oh, and Venus's coming."

"...It's a bit late to tell me that," Aerial said dryly. "But oh well."

"Not sure how she'll like butterfly-catching at her age, but she was the one who insisted on coming last-minute. She really is like an overprotective mom at times – kind of annoying." Chase let out a sigh. "Anyway, I'll see you there?"

"Yep."

After they exchanged prompt goodbyes, Aerial soon figured out how to end a phone call, pride bubbling up inside her heart as she pressed the red button. Minutes later her quick little legs made their way down the gravel streets towards the fenced Moores Park, which she could spot a mile away due to the large sign hanging overhead in block letters.

Moores Park was a respectfully cozy and small area with many cobblestone pathways leading around and about the lush grass hills. Faded benches with wet wood were scattered about the twisting trails, with bird poop splatter resembling faded white paint. Tourist attractions included a miniature duck pond with overgrown lily pads, cattails, and the occasional bur-reed clumped about that covered the ducks like barriers.

The other attraction was, of course, the butterfly garden, which resembled more like a yellow field of canolas instead of actual mixes of flowers. It was also located outside the Moores Park instead of inside, where only the relaxed couples and occasional jogger decided to hang out. Near the garden, however, children's heads disappeared under the melting sun and men's sweaty necks shone like bells. Women's skin tickled at the stems of the canolas until they sneezed and sniffled, their evening perfume blending it with the stiff yet pleasant fragrance in the air. The butterflies themselves were a wonder of bursting orange that danced across the painted sky, no cares nor frets in the world.

Aerial spotted Chase waving at her from across the park, his silhouette directly under the sun's rays. Venus merely blinked to acknowledge Aerial's existence, and soon the two cousins walked down the hill and all the way towards the girl.