Stories the Butterfly Told Me

1. New York

1. Chapter

It was a warm summer day. Well, actually a way too hot summer day. I sighed again and bent my head over the book I was trying to read in this unbearable heat. Feeling the sunbeams burning my neck I looked up and gazed carelessly at the flowers in front of me, letting my neck enjoy the coolness of the shadow. I closed my eyes and a cool soundless breeze appeared out of nowhere. As I opened my eyes I saw it for the very first time - sitting there all silent and fragile at my shirt. It was a beautiful orange butterfly with a black pattern. It crawled further up my shirt and stopped as it reached the place where my heart was hiding behind the shirt. Puzzled by its movements I looked down at the little insect. The breeze had disappeared and everything fell quite. Then it started whispering to me.

Ten minutes till I have to be there. It is morning and I am on my way through the buzzing city - New York. The cars are honking; the shops are about to open. Now and then a bird's twitter is heard, but no one notice. Everyone is in a hurry. A woman in high heels carrying a briefcase is storming out of the coffee shop with a steamy cup of coffee. She bumps into a man, who is walking by. The scalding coffee is pouring down over both of them. While yelling at each other, they harass on.

A new day has started.

I cross the street; a peevish taxi driver toots at me. I sigh. No one enjoys the sun, which sends its' warm greetings to us all. A street salesman tries pertinaciously to sell a false Gucci bag at the corner of the street. The city teems with people. Everywhere voices are heard. A man in a suit is shouting into his phone. I move on through the crowd. Five minutes left. As I reach Times Square, the traffic light switches and displays the red light, which signals you to stop. They do not care as they continuously push in between the waiting cars to cross the road.

A black car with toned windows stops in the middle of the crossroads. A man climbs out of the car and I turn to get a better look of him. He is wearing a long white garb, which yields him a lot of attention. Something is terribly wrong. I move on - away from the car and the man. As I turn one last time, I see the corner of the white garb disappear into the crowd. My heartbeat races and I panic. Aggressively I try pushing against the impervious wall of humans. Further back I hear piercing and despairing shouts.

Only now as I hear the bang do I realise, what he is.