She was walking in a meadow full of clover and fragrant wild flowers, picking sweet berries here and there. It was bright and sunny; a glorious day.
She reached the brook at the edge of the forest, sat against a tree for a rest, and stared up through the trees and across meadows that were peacefully gracing her world.
From out of thin air came two butterflies. She gazed at them both; so beautiful with their bright colors.
The first was green, red, and blue. The larger one had yellow and black stripes with long shirt-tails on his wings. They were probing inside the flowers’ petals, crowning the cones and leisurely drawing in a libation of sweet floral nectar. Their wings opened and closed slowly as they ate. She had never really noticed how beautiful butterflies could be.
She looked up at the sky and wondered where these two would go after their meal. With her head against the tree, she dozed off and slipped into a dream.
The cerulean sky was a pure empty heaven when, all at once, two butterflies appeared in the distance.
She waved her hands and tried to touch them but it was so hard to move around in the vast emptiness with nothing to get a hold of, no purchase on the ground or even the ceiling.
Instead, they made their way to her. She could see them coming; small at first, then getting bigger, and bigger as they got closer. They were still miles away but somehow they seemed much larger than she was.
On her right, from far beneath her feet, the yellow butterfly with the black stripes was coming in. If she could keep steady and didn’t spin around or somersault, the green, red and blue one would be high on her left.
“Come, come, come closer,” she said.
“What’s your name?” whispered the red, green, and blue butterfly.
“Yupin’s my name. And you?”
“I’m the Peacock Butterfly, the master storyteller. Over there, is my friend Tiger; Tiger Swallowtail. Do you see his two tails? He’s a magician; and can do so many tricks.
“How old are you, Yupin?” asked Tiger, so softly he was barely audible.
“I’m seventeen years old.”
Why are you here? I mean to say, how did you get here?”
“I don’t know. Where am I?”
“Like what?” She could understand the words, but had no clue of what Tiger was talking about.
“Like Goodness and Beauty. Do you know about Goodness and Beauty?” he asked…
“Well, they say I’m a beautiful girl and I try to be good, but I guess sometimes I’m not. At least, that’s what I think, when my mother or father looks at me with that serious look in their eyes.”
“Let me tell you about the qualities of Goodness and Beauty,
Peacock’s voice echoed in the air as he began to explain.
“What do you mean tonight? Do you have nighttime here?”
“Of course we do”, replied Peacock. “It’s the time when Blue Morpho goes around to light up the stars. The time we butterflies disappear and the moths come out and move through the night realms. They might be here in the Magic Kingdom, but they can also be in Fragrance Court, or in the Hall of Mirrors, or in the Fjord of Infatuation. More often though, you’ll find them in the Court of Lights.”
“I’ve never heard of any of these places. Where are they?” These names seemed very romantic to Yupin. She had no idea where she was, let alone where these magical places might be.
She didn’t get an answer.
Peacock came closer, perched himself on her head and told her to take off her shoes and get on his back. Being careful not to scratch his wings, she climbed up onto him, smearing smudges of green, red, and blue silvery powder glittered on her legs, hands, and clothing. Although Peacock was flapping his wings and she was having difficulty staying in the saddle with his erratic flight pattern and all the fluttering, it didn’t seem as if they were going anywhere. Nothing moved in all that emptiness…that is, until Peacock turned his head and pointed out to his friend the Garden Tiger.
She was getting used to riding Peacock and as she was swaying from side to side, up and down. Yupin could see Garden Tiger getting closer. When they finally reached him and when she was down from Peacock’s back, she noticed that he was also a big butterfly; quite colorful too.
She watched him fly, noticing there was something odd about him. He seemed very busy and very worried about something. He dashed about, running in ever diminishing circles. When he got to the middle of the spiral, he would start all over again. On and on, this went making her somewhat dizzy.
Yupin enquired about this strange behavior.
Peacock explained that Garden Tiger was the garden’s keeper. His work consisted on patching the holes in the air: in the ozone layer. Tiger spent all his time doing this.
Yupin, of course, wanted to know how he did this. Although she knew about ozone from her school science classes she didn’t have a clue about how he would solve this serious situation. All the same, Garden Tiger seemed very serious about his work and knew just what he was doing.
By this time, Tiger Swallowtail arrived and was about to detail the difficulties and intricacies of Garden Tiger’s job when another butterfly appeared in the distance.
It was Red Admiral and as he came closer, his redness became more flamboyant.
“How magnificent,” thought Yupin.
Admiral didn’t flutter in like Peacock or the two Tigers. No, he dashed about in straight lines at high speeds. He came in very close but didn’t stop, and then suddenly disappeared. A very handsome and exciting butterfly, she thought.
“Tiger, please tell me about all the other butterflies and their roles in the Magic Kingdom.”
“I won’t tell you about them until we meet them. Tell you what! I’ll take you to visit Viceroy, the kite maker. He’ll be very busy right now making his kites, but he always has time to talk, especially to a young guest such as you.”
As Tiger Swallowtail was talking, Yupin started seeing things flying in the sky. It was like wedding confetti, and as they got closer, she could see that they were now surrounded by kites. Like butterflies, they fluttered about.
“I’ve never seen so many kites. How truly beautiful this is”, said Yupin with joy and amazement. She stared in awe. Kites everywhere, all around her, spinning, fluttering, dipping and dashing around.
“This is wonderful, Viceroy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“You have no idea how lucky I am to have been given this talent to make kites. It takes some skill of course but the fun part is in giving them shape and color so that they can amuse you.”
“I have had a few but I’ve lost them. One got tangled and stuck in some electrical wires. The second broke lose, hit a tall building and crashed on the ground, in pieces. The third one also broke lose and was carried away by a strong wind. I don’t know where it is today.”
“That’s too bad! Such mishaps only happen on earth. The earth has no mercy on fragile things. That’s why we moths and butterflies live here in the Magic Kingdom, where peace resides.”
“Your kites have no strings. How come they stay here where you put them?”
“Oh! I only make the kites. Tiger, the magician, puts a magic spell on each one and they stay right here in the Kingdom; they fill the sky and have nowhere else to go. They are happy kites. Then Peacock, our storyteller, organizes them in such a way that they create a show for
our Blue Emperor. As you can see, we have nothing but room here in the sky to put on such majestic shows. Today is a special show just for you, as we seldom get visitors here.”
“Do they go all over the world? Can the children see them?”
“Most children of the world should be able to see them my dear”, said the Peacock, “all they have to do is close your eyes and dream of kites and magic. Oh look, here comes Blue Emperor now.”
“Good afternoon Emperor. Come here, your Excellency. I would like to introduce you to a lovely young lady called Yupin. She has just arrived and she has already met Peacock, the two Tigers and she’s seen Red Admiral.”
“Your first acquaintances in our Kingdom must be very exciting for you.”
“Exciting indeed; I met a storyteller, a magician, a kite maker as well as a garden keeper trying to save the Universe. Oh, I almost forgot, there was also a handsome butterfly dashing here and there that we saw but couldn’t talk to. He seemed very busy.”
“Oh, yes! Red Admiral! I’d like to talk to him myself but he’s too fast. I guess he’s busy chasing whatever he’s chasing. By the way, I’m the Blue Emperor”, he said. “It’s nice to meet you, Yupin, is it?”
“Yupin it is. I’m impressed. I’ve never met a real emperor before.”
“Please don’t; I mean that I’m not impressive. It’s just a name they’ve given me. What I do here is simply try to bring some magic to the Kingdom. Look at those orchids, those radiant little angels. I like tall flowers with lots of petals and beautiful colors swaying in the breeze while sucking their nectar. Orchids are the goddesses of flowers. They have grace, beauty and they are so kind to me. When I’m with them, I turn into a lustful glutton. I stay with my orchids until I fall down drunk. I dare say that Monarch, our king, behaves the same way as he takes in the ambrosia of roses. And when I’m not with the orchids, I go to the Poppies and get drunk on their perfume of high spirits.”
“Do you often get drunk on nectar?” asked Yupin.
“I can resist anything except temptation, itself.”
Suddenly, another two butterflies appeared. There was Monarch with Painted Lady right behind him.
“Monarch is the king of the Magic Kingdom. Did you notice that he looks a lot like Viceroy? As king, his power lies in his abilities to charm.”
“Tell me Emperor, how can Monarch charm all these butterflies?
Aren’t they already charming enough?”
“You’re right, Yupin, we are a charming lot. Monarch doesn’t just charm butterflies. His mission here is to charm Dragon and Phoenix so that they’ll bring peace to our Kingdom.”
“Who are Dragon and Phoenix? Do they live here? Can I see them?”
“Dragon is our real emperor and he sometimes lives in the Pavilion of Immortality beyond the Land of Great Void. Sometimes too, he lives in caverns in those high inaccessible mountains on earth whose peaks rise above the clouds.”
“Wow! Strange places I’ve never heard of before. And what about Phoenix?”
“We call Phoenix the Empress. She rides on clouds spanning great distances. Sometimes she can be seen together with Dragon. When they’re together, you can be sure there’ll be blessings, festivity, happiness, and prosperous times.”
“Is Phoenix beautiful?”
“She’s the most beautiful of birds, an elegant figure skating gracefully in the transparency of heaven. She’s a creature of extreme beauty and she goes to nest on earth only during prosperous times. Phoenix is eleven years old; Dragon is thousands of years young! Dragon is sometimes wicked, sometimes benevolent, sometimes to be splayed sometimes to be adored, but he’s always here; everywhere. Dragon is eternal. Phoenix is always in full regalia of plumage and color, gracefully dancing and saying sweet words, singing melodious songs.”
“You say she goes to nest; does she have children?”
“Not like you of course but she’s had offspring that people on earth have called Unicorns.”
“Really? Unicorns came from Dragon and Phoenix?”
“Yes, Really! I’ll tell you something else about Phoenix. She masters the eight tones of music; her songs are enchanting.”
“I must meet Phoenix. I don’t sing well at all. Maybe she can teach me.
I would so much like to sing like her. I do like to sing, but everybody runs away when I open my mouth.”
“Maybe you’ll see her someday.”
Monarch and Painted Lady had been listening to Emperor talk to Yupin about Dragon and Phoenix when Painted Lady suddenly realized that it was getting late and time to get Blue Morpho to light up the stars before the moths got fidgety.
Painted Lady flew off to find Morpho only to see that the stars were lighting up in the wake of his path as he flew across the sky.
“Moths will be out everywhere tonight. You can watch them from here,” she said to Yupin. “It’s usually quite a show. They come out of the forest and bushes, gathering around parks, under lights, in front of neon lights, in bars with flashing lights, on cars with high beams on a moonless night. From one spark to another, wherever there’s a glow they seek one another only to be in the spotlight and in the know. Who’s who, who’s where, in the thin air?”
Yupin looked down.
Moths were abuzz, everything was a buzzing. A phantasmagoria of individual flights and crazy patterns, milling about to get in touch; all in the darkness. A joyful hysteria, it seemed.
Peacock’s voice echoed in the air:
Creatures of contrast the moths are; all in black, grey and white and yet beautifully decorated as if to impress one another with their extravagant designer wings, gadget antennas and, hairy legs. They live at the same time as stars. As a matter of fact, they are stars themselves when in the light.
Painted Lady chimed in:
“We like to think that moths are pedestrian, like butterflies that have run out of prosperity and splendor. While we butterflies live in the stars, they cling to earth, somewhat between heaven and earth, but closer to the mud. They like to call their world the Courts of Lights. We butterflies have contingent friendships with moths; after all, we are cousins of sorts. This is why some of us like Peacock, Viceroy and Faithful Beauty have many friends among the moths. Mind you, there is a devil that stirs within each one of them. Look down and listen to them” said the Painted Lady. “Look, there. The first moth you see is Festive midget. After Blue Morpho lights the stars, Festive midget is the one who calls all the moths to gather under the lights. You’ll soon see them all there in the Court of Lights.”
“Who’s that one next to the Festive Midget? That moth is quite pretty” said Yupin.
“That’s Faithful Beauty. Take a good look at her now because you won’t see her later; she’ll disappear in the Fjord of Infatuation with Morpho when he’s finished lighting the stars.”
“What’s the Fjord of Infatuation?” asked Yupin.
The Painted Lady was a little embarrassed by Yupin’s question. She had to give the girl an answer but didn’t want to get into the fine print of what the moths actually do there, especially when the more colorful butterflies get involved.
“The Fjord of Infatuation is where lovers meet.” answered the Painted Lady. “For instance, Blue Morpho and Faithful Beauty spend the night there together until all the lights go out. Zale and Vetch are there all the time; so are Sweetheart and Isabella.” They are the courtesans of love.
“Let’s take a closer look”, said Yupin.
The Painted Lady didn’t want Yupin to see too much. What went on in the Fjord of Infatuation was not appropriate behavior for a young girl to witness. She knew she would have difficulty explaining Zale, Vetch, and Isabella.
Peacock spoke out:
“Look, there’s Isabella. A fine moth she is; she’s the fairy of amorous dreams. The moths need her to guide their love lives. Moths are fickle; they are unstable in affection and loyalty, and they are capricious.
Isabella is always there to talk to them about the meaning of their dreams.
Have you ever been in love?” Painted Lady asked Yupin.
“Well, I love my mother and father very much, and I also love all the people in my family.”
“That’s good!” The Painted Lady had expected that answer. “Do you remember what Tiger Swallowtail told you about Goodness and Beauty?”
“Oh yes, something about people desiring Beauty and not loving Goodness.”
As she was saying this, Luna, the Great Mistress of Passion came by.
“My dear Yupin” said Peacock, “you’re looking into the Fjord of Infatuation. Nothing is real there. You see, it is only when you love Goodness as much Beauty that you find True Love. There in the Fjord of Infatuation, you’ll only find foolish and transient affection, only shallow love. You’ll see moths like Vetch and Zale embracing and fondling other moths and sometimes butterflies too. They’re all taking samples of themselves thinking they’re in love; at best, they’ve found companionship where none is really expected. It’s a shallow world where love, in fact life itself lasts only a few days; there’s no long term commitment here; fecundity through transient relationships are essential for life’s continuance. Just look at them, one set of glands calling another; infatuation junkies intoxicated by romance, lust, and rapture. They’re also passionately extravagant; take Gypsy, for instance, the Prince of Tattooing.”
“I see him” said Yupin. “My, my, look at all the tattoos on his wings. I’ve seen beautiful moths tonight but not one like him. Would you say that he’s infatuated with tattoos?” she joked.
“Not only infatuated with tattoos but infatuated with all his friends and customers and, passionately in love with himself. Did you ever meet anybody like him?”
“No!” replied Yupin, “but I guess I will one day when I’m a grown-up.”
“I’m surprised that you haven’t yet. I’ve seen children like him; children that seem to get easily infatuated over certain things, and be selfishly in love with themselves too, but children usually grow out of this when they mature.”
“Now that you mention it, I guess I do know some children like the Gypsy.”
“Of course you do. That’s one of the greatest shortcomings of moths and people too, may I add.”
“Are butterflies like that too?”
Yupin didn’t really want to ask that question for fear that the answer would shatter the beautiful memories of her day in the Magic Kingdom. But being curious, always asking questions, always trying to determine the subtleties and degrees of existence, she just let loose and asked the question.
Actually, Painted Lady had been expecting the question and offered the following answer.
“Butterflies are no better than other creatures, but because they live under the sun and think that they are closer to Dragon and Phoenix, they would like to give the impression that they are above any kind of impropriety. They’ve been telling themselves this for so long that they actually believe it. What’s more, the Blue Emperor is a staunch defender of a butterfly’s moral conduct since he believes in the magnificence of life. But enough of this” said the Painted Lady. “Let’s go back to the Court of Lights and we’ll stop at the Hall of Mirrors on our way there.”
“What’s the Hall of Mirrors? Is it a room full of different mirrors?” asked Yupin.
“In a way, yes, but there aren’t any real mirrors as you would know them; only dew drops and leaves that reflect the moths’ shapes and tattoos, which, by the way, makes it difficult to tell which is which as they blend in to one another.”
“I’ve seen that before” said Yupin. I was walking one night and just by moving my flashlight around I got to see moths that looked like tree bark, twigs and leaves and I got confused; I couldn’t tell tree bark from the moth. It’s even more confusing here in the Hall of Mirrors because there are so many different moths here.”
“Of course it is! This is where all the moths meet at least once in their lifetime, and since their lifetime is rather short, there are always plenty of moths here,” explained Painted Lady.
“What do they do?”
“Nothing! Just talk together, or rather, I should say, they share gossip about one another and butterflies.”
“I don’t listen to gossip. My mother says it’s not a nice thing to do.”
“You’re mother might be right, Yupin, but you’re missing some really juicy stories.”
“Tell me some”, asked Yupin all excited.
“I’ll tell you as we go along. But first let’s go to another place: the Sphere of Parting Sorrow and the Sea of Brimming Grief.”
“What! What did you say?”
“The City of Broken Hearts is its real name.”
“I’ll bet there are a lot of moths there.” After having heard so much about moths infatuated and falling in love with just about anything, by shear instinct, Yupin knew there’d be a lot of broken hearts. “Who goes there?” she asked candidly.
“Hebrew, Sweetheart, Zale, Vetch; everybody goes there. I’ve been there too,” admitted the Painted Lady. “Everybody goes through the City of Broken Hearts sometime in their lives. Don’t you think?”
“I guess” said Yupin. “I’ve had many broken hearts. Does it ever stop? I mean, do grown-ups get broken hearts?”
As she said this, the Painted Lady vanished and Yupin was left all alone on the edge of the Magic Kingdom staring at the world of moths with its bright Court of Lights, the Hall of Mirrors, the City of Broken Hearts and the famous Fjord of Infatuation. She looked, and looked, and looked at them yet again and again, one by one.
She stared down the hall into a mirror and looked deeply into her own eyes, wondering if she was more like a butterfly than a moth, full of goodness rather than beauty.
