Once upon a leaf, on a wiggly green branch, there lived a caterpillar with the funniest name in the whole garden. His name was Ooeeenn Ooeeeen.
(Yes — you say it just like that. Try it! *Ooeeenn Ooeeeen!*).
He loved munching leaves, loved wiggling in the sun, and loved shouting his own name really loud just for fun. But there was ONE thing Ooeeenn Ooeeeen did NOT love — becoming a pupa.
“I heard it’s dark in there,” he told his leaf. “And squishy. And maybe even a little bit ouchy. No thank you! I will just stay a caterpillar FOREVER, ooeeenn ooeeeen!”
One morning, a big beautiful orange butterfly fluttered down and landed right on his leaf. “Ooeeenn Ooeeeen!” she said, giggling. “Why do you look so worried, little wiggle-worm?”
“Because everybody says I have to turn into a pupa, and pupas sound SCARY. Dark and tight and painful, ooeeenn ooeeeen!”
The butterfly laughed so hard her wings went flap-flappity-flap.
“Scary? Silly caterpillar! I was a pupa once too! It’s not scary — it’s like the comfiest, snuggliest blanket fort you ever made, except this one is made of YOU.”
“A blanket fort… made of ME?” Ooeeenn Ooeeeen blinked.
“That’s right! And guess what I turned into?” “What?” “THIS!” She spun around, showing off her orange sparkly wings. “Ooooh,” said Ooeeenn Ooeeeen. “But… I still don’t want to, ooeeenn ooeeeen.” And he hid under a leaf.
Later, a tiny white dragonfly zipped by — zzzzip-zzzzip — and did a little loop-the-loop right over his head. “Whee! Hiya, Ooeeenn Ooeeeen!” “Hello, dizzy dragonfly.” “I heard you’re scared of pupa-time!”
“I am NOT scared,” said Ooeeenn Ooeeeen, hiding half his face behind a leaf. “I am just very comfortable being a caterpillar, ooeeenn ooeeeen.”
The dragonfly landed right on his nose. “Zzzzip! Let me tell you a secret. When I was a baby, I lived underwater and didn’t have wings AT ALL — I looked like a grumpy little pickle! Then one day, POP, I grew wings and could fly like THIS!” She zoomed a loop around him.
“A grumpy pickle turned into… you?”
“Yup! Change is just magic that takes a nap first.” “Magic that naps?” Ooeeenn Ooeeeen scratched his fuzzy chin with one of his sixteen tiny feet. “Hmm. I still don’t want to, ooeeenn ooeeeen.”
A fluffy-tailed squirrel bounced by with an acorn stuffed in her cheeks. “Mmmf — oh! Ooeeenn Ooeeeen! Mmmf — sorry, mouth full!” She swallowed with a gulp. “You still haven’t done your pupa nap?”
“Nope. And I’m not going to! What if I go in and come out squished flat like a pancake, ooeeenn ooeeeen?” The squirrel snort-laughed so hard her acorn nearly popped out of her mouth.
“Squished?! Oh, little caterpillar. Think of it like THIS — when winter comes, I curl up cozy in my tree hole, all snuggled and warm, and I dream big fluffy dreams. Then spring comes and I bounce back out, ready to zoom and jump and leap!” “You just nap and dream?”
“Just nap and dream! And when you wake up? Best surprise of your whole entire life.” Ooeeenn Ooeeeen wiggled nervously. “Maybe. But probably not, ooeeenn ooeeeen.”
Finally, a shiny round beetle trundled up the branch, slow and steady, clomp, clomp, clomp.
“Well, well,” he said in his low rumbly voice. “If it isn’t the most famous worried caterpillar in the whole garden.” “I am not worried!” said Ooeeenn Ooeeeen.
“I am just… busy. Being a caterpillar. Forever, ooeeenn ooeeeen.” The beetle chuckled, slow like syrup. “You know what I think? I think being scared of something new just means it’s something WONDERFUL. Nobody gets nervous about boring things.” Ooeeenn Ooeeeen went quiet. “You don’t have to be brave all in one big gulp,” said the beetle gently. “Just brave enough for tonight. That’s all it takes.”
That night, Ooeeenn Ooeeeen felt his tummy go all fizzy and strange, and he KNEW — tonight was The Night. So naturally, he panicked. He wiggled over to the orange butterfly’s flower. “Psst! Butterfly! BUTTERFLY! I need one more pep talk, ooeeenn ooeeeen!” But the butterfly was fast asleep, wings folded like a little tent, snoring the tiniest butterfly snores. “Pffft… pffft…” He wiggled to the dragonfly’s reed. “Dragonfly! Wake up, it’s an emergency, ooeeenn ooeeeen!” But the dragonfly was snoozing upside down, one leg twitching in a dream about looping the loop. He wiggled all the way to the squirrel’s tree, huffing and puffing. “Squirrel! SQUIRREL! I have QUESTIONS!” But the squirrel was curled in a fuzzy ball, hugging her acorn like a teddy bear, absolutely out cold. Even the beetle, when Ooeeenn Ooeeeen finally clomped over to him, was lying on his back with his little legs in the air, snoring like a tiny motorbike — vrrrrrp… vrrrrrp…
“Oh, come ON, everybody’s just SLEEPING at a time like THIS?!” huffed Ooeeenn Ooeeeen, throwing his front half dramatically over a twig. He marched in a grumpy circle. He tried talking to a rock (the rock did not answer). He tried talking to the moon (the moon just twinkled). He flopped back onto his leaf with a giant caterpillar sigh. “Fine. FINE. I guess I’ll just be brave enough for tonight all by myself, ooeeenn ooeeeen.” And with his friends snoring all around him like a funny little snoring orchestra, he closed his eyes, and let it happen.
Days passed, cozy and quiet. And then, one bright morning — crack. A tiny wiggle. A tiny push. Out stepped someone brand new, blinking in the sunshine. Not a caterpillar anymore. Two beautiful green wings, sparkling like dew on grass, stretched out slowly in the warm morning light. The orange butterfly, the small white dragonfly, the squirrel, and the beetle all came rushing over. “Well?” said the butterfly. “How do you feel?” He wiggled his new wings. He took a tiny hop. And then — up he went, floating into the air for the very first time. “OOEEENN OOEEEEN!” he shouted, looping through the sky just like the dragonfly had taught him.
“I’M FLYING! IT WASN’T SCARY AT ALL — IT WAS THE BEST NAP OF MY WHOLE LIFE! AND NEXT TIME, I WON’T EVEN BOTHER WAKING ANYBODY UP!”
And from that day on, the most beautiful green butterfly in the garden flew from flower to flower, telling every worried caterpillar he met the very same thing
You don’t have to be brave all at once. Just brave enough for tonight.”
