Once when I was a bit younger, immature, I walked out into a blissful field of rhododendrons. The orange hue of the flowers felt hypnotizing, and I took my hand out and touched it, but the red hues spread like fire upon my hands, and my lungs filled up with toxins. I tried to breathe but the smoke engulfed me, it took my words and took my soul. Only sooner or later I would find myself laying on a hospital bed, watching the clock tick as I layed the hours away. Every morning and night the sun would rise and set, it was the most inspiring thing for me to get up, to set and rise just as the sun does. One night, I watched the moon rise, ready to show it's unseen beauty once again. Nobody saw it's beauty except for me, as I'd spend the nights in restless pain. I reached for the window sill and brought myself up. I cracked the window open and the curtains flowed with the nightly wind. I stuck my upper body out, and as I was viewing the dead scenery, a glowing yellow butterfly came up to me and landed on my nose. I got scared and shook my head, scaring the little critter away. I leaned out further to see the butterfly again, but it was nowhere to be seen, it flew away from me. "Am I really that scary?" I thought to myself. So slowly, I took myself out of the sheets of the bed, and then I found where the floor was, and then I began walking. It was a seering pain, I never walked since the incident, but it felt cathartic in a way. I pulled on a flowery scarf, my friendliest coat, and most insulating boots as I made my way out of my hospital room. I walked alone, no caretaker in sight, nobody was there to keep me from exploring the places I shan't. I pulled the exit door open, and the wind howled, tugging at my scarf and playing with my hair. A look to the left, and a look to the right, the dear butterfly was out of sight. I took a deep breath as I walked further along the nearest path. The outdoors were frigid, dark, and foggy, but I knew that this winter butterfly would break the curse of darkness, to light up the night. I walked as long as I could, but my knees buckled and I fell, hugging the ground. "Is tomorrow a day with or without pain?" I asked myself, I could never know, would a caregiver notice my disappearance or would I have to find my own way back? Would this butterfly find me once again and understand how beautiful I've found it, or would it only know how scary it found me? No matter the answers, I had to bring myself back up either way, knowing that I could at least reassure myself with my effort. The moon casted white rays, a reminder of my fate, that this could be my last night of warm blood. I took my head to look back up at the horizon, the fog was coloured different this time. Red, pink, yellow, blue, the hues became stronger as I approached, but the aching in my heart became more painful as I neared. I only had a few humble steps left, for that my legs would give out again, and I fell into the coloured vapour. I lifted my head to see the butterfly perched on my flowery scarf, though the blood from my nose was only staining the sight. My bones cracked as I got myself to sit, I held the fragile butterfly in my hands, and brought it to my eyes. For that, it's angelic beauty filled up my world, all I could see was the warm, gentle glow of the little creature. "There you are", I said with my hoarse voice, I nuzzled my nose up to it again, but it made no response. Soon enough, the warmth poured into my body like a spring sunrise, I smiled. The butterfly begin flying around me gleefully, and I laughed with it, I turned around and tried to catch it, but I only caught my own wings. Wait... I have wings? As the realization dawned upon me, the sun's rays lightly casted in the horizon as the cars roar their engines. I stood up from the painted lines, and there I saw the red hues again, spreading along the neat linework of the road. By my hands was the little yellow butterfly, it lost it's glow, and it too was breathing the relief of death. I placed my hand down, but it never came up to me. My ghostly hand was left to be unseen, though I knew, perhaps the sun was the yellow butterfly. I turned around to see the lifting hope, it shined in my face like a lovely greeting to the afterlife. May I never meet the butterfly again, or perhaps I will, but I will always find it in all the right places. I took a deep breath as I let the second car hit me, this time there was no blood, but a new awakening in true warmth. Thank you, yellow butterfly.
