The Butterfly Trap

Prologue

The meadow was graceful in its ways, taking form of a butterfly garden amidst the clearing of tulips and wild flowers. Everything around the meadow seemed to still in time as a tussled red haired girl lay in the tall grass.

Her limbs brushed against the flowers every time she shifted even the briefest of moments, tickling her soft freckled skin. She was counting the butterflies that flew over her head, and staring up at the endless sky that carried many white clouds.

But suddenly someone had taken that all away from her, as her view was disrupted by a smaller girl's face who had attained more freckles on her cheeks.

The girl beamed down at Audrey and exclaimed, "Let us go see what butterflies we have caught inside our traps!"

Audrey was one to agree when it came to going to their secret place within the sylvan woods that surrounded the meadows. She easily grinned back to her younger sister and nodded, "Let us go, Meg."

She stood from her place on the ground, brushing off her white dress that now contained thin traces of dirt, but Audrey did not care. Meg looped her hand within Audrey's and together they walked through the fields of sunlight that seemed to follow them. The birds sang loudly from overhead, giving everything a serene feel.

When they had entered the woods, they followed a short path to the creek that flowed with life next to a small clearing. The clearing had many trinkets hanging from the branches of the trees, from glass bottles to handmade butterfly traps that the two girls had made themselves.

With Meg's curiosity booming, she let go of Audrey's hand and rushed to the nearest trap. She opened it and turned back to Audrey with wide eyes, "It is a yellow one!"

Audrey went to the trap and studied it with her own eyes. Being Eight years old, just a couple of years older than Meg, Audrey was more knowledgeable about the butterflies than Meg.

She said to Meg, "It is a yellow monarch."

Meg's smile grew at her reply and she took a glass jar and guided the butterfly into it to where then she would draw and study the butterfly within one of their many sketch books.

Audrey also gathered a sketch book and some colored pencils from their place beneath a tree. She, too, began to open the traps and draw the creatures to perfection.

When the sun began to stop and the light began to seep beneath the clouds, disappearing away from the horizon, only then did the girls debate on going home. The butterflies were disappearing, returning to a state of rest for the night.

Meg had always been afraid of the dark and so Audrey offered to clean up their supplies while Meg ventured home to their small house. Their parents would be awaiting them and most likely with supper ready. Nevertheless, Meg left Audrey with a small word of thanks and then Audrey began to put the colored pencils away.

She made to pick up a handful of pencils but she dropped one. On instinct she bent down to pick it up only to see a pair of boots instead of the pencil. She stared at the feet of the man, her gaze crawling from his black shoes to his matching pants and brown linen robe. She slowly looked all the way up until she was staring into his sterling blue eyes that were framed by uncut dark hair.

A wide grin crossed over his flawless face, making his strong jaw line look almost delicate. Surely the man could not have appeared to be more than twenty years old despite wearing such strange clothes and having hair fall over his piercing set of eyes.

Audrey watched the man, entranced by his sudden presence.

Then, with low thoughtful words the man said, "Like your butterflies, one day you will be trapped, but within my own grasp." And he reached a closed hand out towards her. As he undid each finger, Audrey watched in awe as crystal blue butterfly, the color of ice, flew from his palm. It fluttered away towards the moon. Her eyes never left the butterfly until it was out of sight, and when she tilted her head back to the man; he was gone.