Brilliant reddish browns and deep, saturated yellows were all the rage this year. My fishbone outline pattern was the talk of the town, and was quite stunning, if I have to say it myself. Imagine- a caterpillar like me, sitting atop the most spectacular maple leaf ever. I was truly the envy of the world, if for a season. The rainy season was now upon us, and the wind blew consistently on this particularly blustery day. The view changed constantly as the beautiful leaf whipped from side to side. Leonard held on for dear life, as he could never climb back up this high. Suddenly, the tether than held his home in place snapped, and he was free from the safety net of the limb. Tumbling blindly through the stinging rain for what seemed an eternity, he became wedged against a greenish orange leaf in a nearby oak tree. He gathered his wits, and observed he had company. “Well, well, what have we here? Can you believe it? What an ugly creature! Look at those short legs. Bet you can’t jump like me, can you? And you call that a leaf? It’s cut out in places unimaginable! What kind of beetle are you, anyway? Not from around here, that’s for sure.” “Hey, Bennie, I’ll bet he’s one of those from the other side of the forest. You know, the ones that think they’re better than anybody else. We don’t play with the ones from the other side. I think it’s time for them to leave!” “Wait a minute. I don’t see where he’s done anything wrong. Why don’t you ask him where he’s from? He might be a new friend!” The two beetles looked disapprovingly. “Bonnie, you’re always wanting to mingle with the outsiders. Don’t you know we don’t associate with these types? He’s nothing but trouble. Look at those beady eyes! I say we kick him out and send him back where he came from!” Bonnie stepped onto Leonard’s maple leaf and marveled at the pretty colors and patterns. She had never seen anything like this in her oak forest. The red lines became a tightrope as she playfully tried to stay on the midrib. She walked out to the edge of the center point, pretending it was a diving board to the great big world in front of her. “I don’t see why you think he is so bad, he seems nice enough. You should give him a chance.” The rain had stopped, but the wind still whistled through the branches. The two beetles were huddled up in the corner of their leaf, planning. An unfriendly crowd had now gathered, and everyone seemed to be following Bennie’s cue. The two instigators looked at each other, nodded, and with their legs gave a mighty heave, and the maple leaf began tumbling out of the tree. The two beetles, along with their followers, laughed heartily as the wind grabbed the leaf and forced it back into the air. Leonard showed his new friend how to hang on tight as they tumbled and twisted all the way down to the ground. “Hey, I think I’m stuck under here! Help!” Bonnie used her strong legs and lifted the side of the maple leaf off the ground, and Leonard crawled right out. “Gee, thanks! Hey, my name is Leonard, the caterpillar. What’s your name?” “Bonnie, the beetle. Thanks for showing me how to hang on tight. I don’t know what I would have done without you there!” “No problem. Now, where are we? Everything is…well…close up. Let’s ask her. “Hey, You! The cat! Down here! Where are we?” “I’d say you two are in big trouble. See the bird? She’s trying to feed her babies. You two look like bird feed.” About that time, the bird swooped down for a closer look, and the cat swatted her halfway into the next forest. She happened to land at the bottom of the oak tree, and looking up, the two beetles were still laughing and calling the misfits names. The bird swooped up, and the mean beetles scrambled for cover. “Gee, thanks, how can we ever repay you? You saved our lives! Will you be our friend?” “My name is Valentine. You don’t owe me anything, I have a happy home and I have everything I need. But I will be your friend.” Leonard said, “When I was in my tree, I saw a new puppy at the Jones’s. I could see everything from up there. Just thought you would like to know.” “Thanks. I’ll keep an eye out. Say, I’ll make sure the birds leave you alone until you can rebuild your house. I’ll sleep out here tonight You two stay right up under my paw and you’ll be safe.” The next morning, Leonard and Bonnie were rattled by a big ruckus, and they were swept, along with the maple leaf, into a dark, cavernous hole with lots of other leaves. They took a long nap in the big trash bag, wrapped up in the safe haven of the beautiful leaf. Soon, they smelled something burning, and to their horror, a man was throwing the leaves into a big pile and burning them! As the trash bag containing their home was being emptied, Valentine ran in and grabbed the maple leaf in her mouth. Purring, she carried the colorful leaf to her owner, who studied it for a minute and thought, “the kids can use this in their science class. This is the most colorful leaf I have ever seen.” Derrick took the colorful maple leaf to class for show and tell. Everyone ooh’d and ah’d over the pretty colors, as Leonard and Bonnie remained curled up in a tiny ball and wrapped up in the leaf to avoid being seen. He took the leaf into science class, and that’s where Derrick and his friends discovered the stowaways. “Wow, look at the cool bugs! What are they? Can we look under the microscope? What do you think they eat? We need to feed them!” When Mrs. Brownstone came in the room, the kids hid their new friends, but they played with them when she was not looking. The caterpillar crawled all the way around their fingers, and the beetle kept them entertained by jumping from desk to desk. Both were ecstatic to have such delightful friends. “Why are caterpillars green? Will they be okay if we leave them here to sleep? Will they sleep on the pretty leaf? How big will they grow?” Mrs. Brownstone walked over to see what the commotion was, and told Derrick to go throw the bugs out in the courtyard. “They’re just bugs, we don’t need them in here unless we’re studying them, if you know what I mean. Now get them out, now!” Derrick walked to the window, dejected, and saw a pretty white cat outside the window. “Put them on my back, and I’ll take care of everything.” He reached out the window, and careful to not hurt his new friends, opened his cupped hands and gently dropped the passengers off. Valentine winked, and off she went. “Grown ups just don’t understand……..”