“Memere, there’s a dragon outside!” She stood staring out the doors onto the gallery.
“Oh? Is it a good dragon or a bad dragon?”
“It’s a bad dragon!” Her expression was very serious. There was no doubt – this was a BAD dragon!
“Oh no!” I exclaimed. “What do we do?”
“It’s okay, Memere,” she soothed. “The butterfly is here.”
“Butterfly?” I queried. I peered through the door at the snow covered deck, putting my hand over my eyes to get a better view. “Is that the blue light I see? Is that the butterfly?”
“Well no, Memere! The butterfly is pink!”
“Okaaaay. And this butterfly is going to help us?” Her gaze told me I should know better than to ask stupid questions.
“Well yes, Memere! It’s a fairy butterfly!”
“Ah-ha! And the fairy butterfly is going to save us from the dragon! It’s our champion!!”
“Yes!” she assured me. “But first we have to dance.” She pressed a button on the magic wand she was carrying and the music started. She twirled and I followed, albeit much less gracefully than my just-turned-5 year old granddaughter. Sam looked up from his couch and seemed interested but decided it was not worth moving from the warmth of the wood stove. Elie, however, thought was great fun and joined us, doing the pit-bull two-step. Mommy lifted her ears but also abstained. Pistache cocked her head and hopped from one foot to the other on her perch.
And so we danced, each movement more exaggerated than the one before, until this breathless Memere asked fearfully, “Are we safe now? Did the fairy butterfly do its job? Is the dragon gone?” She stopped moving and studied the situation outside. Very solemnly she nodded.
“Yes. We’re saved now.” She answered.
“So the fairy butterfly killed the dragon? All is good?” I wanted to be sure before continuing the preparations for our supper.
“No, no!” she admonished me. “The dragon is sleeping. The butterfly told him to sleep.”
Right, I thought. There will be no killing here tonight.
“And Memere can finish making supper.” I stated.
“Uh huh,” she agreed as she turned towards her comfy chair in front of the TV, already distracted by someone else’s adventure.
Yes, I was thinking silently. There are threats of war, fires and tears and disasters happening all over the world out there, but here in this kitchen in the bush we have just been saved from a dragon by a fairy butterfly. Life is good. And I SMILED.
LUV FROM THE BUSH IN QUEBEC.
Tales from the Bush in Quebec 