Text of story

DON’T CHASE A BUTTERFLY IN THE WIND!

Butterflies invade the country side!  They are everywhere, among the bushes and grass and flowers and trees, floating, hovering, or resting on petal and leaf.  

Zara is delighted by the sight!  And what a garden!  Her butterflies fly and dance—have innocent fun! Even the sunbeams seem to dance!

But in the grass one butterfly appears to be lifeless. Zara takes it into her hand and blows on it repeatedly. Suddenly the wings start to tremble, stretch and expand, and lo and behold emerges a lovely face with a gentle smile! Zara claps her hands and excitedly exclaims, “Oh, let’s dance!!!”

The butterfly flies about and Zara happily hops around in the garden. Flowers nod their heads and follow their movements. A light mist covers everything. Suddenly a strong wind comes up and blows the butterfly over the garden hedge and into the far beyond. Zara calls out: "Don't leave me!" And she runs after the butterfly as fast as she can!

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 As the storm dies down, Zara finds herself out of breath on the edge of a large field and far away from home.

She looks around as she steps into deep grass —everything is very large, as if she had entered the land of giants.

(The story goes—an angry farmer had put a powerful spell on the field because some creatures in the field had destroyed his crop. The spell can only be broken if one of the creatures would be useful to a human in need!)

Zara runs on and into a large net—and there is the butterfly, its fragile wings caught in the sticky strands of a spiderweb!

At that moment a dark and enormous shadow spreads over them and she sees a monstrous spider more terrifying than any she had ever seen! As the spider advances, it’s long, slender, hairy legs reach out for the butterfly.

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Suddenly Zara finds in her hands an arrow with a bow and standing back she lets the arrow fly—! Struck, the spider shudders and flees. As if by magic, the strands of the web unravel, and the butterfly falls to the ground. But it catches itself and flies ahead.

By now she realizes how small she has become. "What has happened?" She asks herself. “This must be an enchanted field!. Ah!— no matter! We’ll find a way out!” Around her enormous insects and birds chirp and sing, have a good time—even the sunshine in its own light dances with the tall grass!

As Zara listens to all the animated noise, she almost stumbles over what appears to be a log, but—oh!, is a large snake. "Watch your step!" it hisses.

Zara draws back. "Where do you think you're going?” ”I am trying to find my way home!" “Is that so? Well, whether you go to your left or go to your right, just maybe you’ll find what you ‘re looking for.” Saying this, the snake slithers into the deep grass.

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 Zara and the butterfly continue on and after some time they find a beautiful acacia bush, with flowers incredibly sweet, more sweet than anything they have ever smelled before! The butterfly flutters towards one of the flowers and settles on it, and drinks its nectar. Before Zara can blink, the butterfly is transformed into a brilliantly fluorescent jay. The bird hops from stem to stem as if beckoning Zara to play, but it is too fast for the girl to follow, and after a time flies away.

Zara plucks a flower from the very same bush, and as she does it quickly grows and attaches itself to her sweater. She is suffused by its fragrance!

Remembering the words of the snake, Zara searches her way, and yet the more she searches, the more endless the field appears! Soon she begins to feel tired and hungry.

Along the way she sees a fat frog sitting on a rock and with its hands folded over what appears to be a very full stomach, while flies hover around Zara, and whisper into her ears. She wishes she could understand what they say.

At that moment a rustling can be heard nearby—

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 Zara peers deep into a clump of grass, and spots a yellow, fluffy ball. "A duckling!" She calls. "I'm not a duckling, I am a gosling!" it cries.

A thunderous honking fills the air...sounds likes wicked laughter!!!

Zara feels a wind brushing her face, and hears what seems to be the sound of fluttering wings. Suddenly in front of her appear two giant webbed legs and feet! The legs tower like trees, and as Zaras eyes turn upward, an enormous gander comes into view, with a beak the size of a humongous shovel!

Upon seeing Zara, the gander lowers his head and, pointing his beak at the girl starts to attack, though it is merely trying to drive off what it assumes is an intruder. Zara stumbles back into the grass. The gander notices the flower on the girl’s sweater. Angrily he addresses Zara, accuses her of stealing from a precious bush that belongs to his flock of geese. The gander snarls, “You must be punished! Prepare yourself!”

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 Horrified, Zara tears the flower from her sweater and holds it up towards the gander. As she does, the flower disintegrates and crumbles to the ground, where it becomes a snake, larger and more aggressive than the one before.

Opening mouth wide and showing its fangs, it threatens both the gander and the girl. Turning to the girl, it lunges at her. At that moment a spear emerges from Zara’s hand, and she thrusts it at the snake.

As the spear strikes its target, it instantly changes into another snake, which bites and grapples with the foe. The two snakes become intertwined and as they fight, disappear into thin air!

For a moment, Zara is stunned. Then the gander speaks: “The snake itself is part of the spell, it played a trick, to entrap you in this field.”

With a demanding voice the bird asks, “But what are you doing here? What is your name, little girl?"

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 “I...I...I I'm Zara and I’m lost."

“Where do you come from?”

“From my mother’s garden!”

“Really? Where are your wings?”

“WINGS? I DON’t have wings!“ Zara whimpers— tears come into her eyes, she bites her lips.

“NO WINGS?“ responds the goose, and turning to his right wing he pulls out a large feather and gives it to Zara and says, “Put this under your left armpit!” Then he turns to his left wing and pulls out another feather and gives it to the open-mouthed girl, and tells her to put this feather under her right armpit.

“Feel yourself light as these feathers!” says the gander.

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 Zara feels being lifted, up, up, and up higher and higher until she reaches the tip of a tall corn-stock nearby— she can now see wide and far over the large field and beyond.

“But you must be hungry! So eat before you fly—come down right now and be refreshed!“ declares the giant goose.

And so Zara slides down on the corn-stock!

In an instant a banquet is spread before her—of corn on the cob dripping with butter, and ice cream made from the sweet nectar of flowers!

She begins to eat and soon has her fill. She lays herself down, and falls asleep.

With a start she wakes—the sound of more honking fills the air, and looking towards the sky she sees a flock of geese approaching —as they land join the gander. And every one as giant as the next! Zara thinks to herself, “What a large family!” As they gather around, some eye her suspiciously, others make a low rumbling in their throats. Some come close and touch her with their necks, one nibbles at her clothes. Zara feels uneasy...

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 But at once the geese lift their heads and crane their necks.

Then all become hysterical! “The harvesting is getting started, the farmer is cutting the field!” one goose shrieks. The gander calls out, “Quick-quick!” Another cries, “We have get out of here—! The combine will cut us up into pieces and we’ll be dinner for the farmer and his wife!”

As the geese start flying off, Zara exclaims, “What about me?” “Don’t worry!” the gander replies, as the gosling climbs on his back—“Remember you have wings, and you’ll see your way home!”

He adds “If you need me, just whistle!” And then is gone...

Now the cutting and grinding of the combine fill the air—louder and louder— but Zara cannot see anything over the corn-stocks! She remembers her wings, begins to move her arms up and down, and before she can count to three is flying into the clouds! The land becomes smaller and smaller until it looks like toy- land...

As she reaches a certain height Zara begins to grow in size! She becomes frightened.

What is happening?

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 The girl thinks, “I must be leaving the magic behind!” She finds it hard to fly—begins to slowly drop from the sky—she whistles as loud as she can...!

In an instant— SWOOSH!—the goose flies right by, and circles around and is now flying directly under her! Zara descends and lands gently on his back.

She notices how broad are the wings of the goose, their tips curling up in the wind! Soon the land far below appears familiar...

But what is this? Together they start to fall! The goose seems to be smaller—

Ooooh, my o my! Zara says, “This is dreadful!!”...is terrified...

Immediately a thought comes to her, "Make yourself lighter!" But she asks herself, “How can I do this?” Her shoes answer: “Take us off!” As she does, the shoes plummet to the earth: Kalumph, kalumph...! Kabaam!!

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 The girl and the goose sail safely to the ground, Zara tumbles down, the feathers under her armpits fall off!

Before she can thank the goose it is already flying away....

Zara snuggles up in her cozy bed. She hears her mother's voice as she bends over her, "Sleep well, my love! Tomorrow is another day, brave little girl. Much work is waiting to be done in the garden. Will you help me?" she asks, as she tucks her in. Zara’s sleepy voice answers, “Yes—I'm so happy to be home!"

And dozes off into sleep.