Chasing Butterflies

Her heart fluttered with the wings of the yellow butterfly dancing through the sky.
Eyes wide and full of wonder her feet found themselves following a trail. Away she went after the yellow butterfly out the courtyard, away from prying eyes and into a thick forest trail.
The sunshine made the forest bright and inviting, it seemed the butterfly had a secret mission the girl knew she’d been especially chosen to follow.
Perhaps the creature would lead her to a beautiful meadow where the fairies that protected its trees would greet her and weave a crown of soft pink flowers that smelled of magic. Or to a crystal spring where the sprites would sing for her as she soaked her tiny feet in its blissful waters.
Dreams and fantasies roamed her tiny, creative mind as she pursued her yellow butterfly.
Deeper and deeper, later and later, the forest began to grow darker and somewhere along the path she lost her way.
The earth beneath her feet grew from soft dirt to jagged rocks and broken glass from littering teenagers.
No place for such a small and fragile girl, the sun began to dip beneath the horizon and she couldn’t remember how far she’d come or from which direction.
The yellow butterfly was long gone and the dark brought cold and fear which crept into her bones and cast terrifying shadows within her mind.
She became distraught as the confusion and disorientation. Sharp branches scraped at her skin and clawed at her clothes.
Tearing here, cutting there, she ran and ran in useless directions.
Everything looked the same and nothing looked familiar.
Her breathing sped up and her heart pounded. The world around her formed itself into dark creatures of the night with claws and sharp teeth and terrifying intentions.
Some miles away there were frantic teachers and parents looking for a child that had disappeared from the playground some hours ago.
Heartbroken neighbors joined the search through the unkind and unforgiving night.
23 hours and 22 seconds until they came to a halt.
The oddly shaped adults craned their necks at the small crumpled figure of a horror stricken child, turning away in terror from the awful sight.
Her body was torn to shreds by sharp cruel jaws and dirt smeared from head to toe.
The smell of metal and damp soil filled the air as the earth was soaked in crimson pools that made even the strongest, tallest and bravest clutch their stomach as it traveled up their throats.
Dense silence accompanied by the chills running up and down the living’s spines.
They simply stared in wonder as a yellow butterfly delicately landed on the mangled corpse, kissing her ever so gently.
Some say the giggle of a small girl echoed around the forest that very moment and some shake their heads and refuse to speak of it.
Death is not senseless and neither is chasing butterflies and maybe we all end up just where we are supposed to.