Onward The Caterpillar

A meditative story for kids, possibly leading to sleep. Onward the Caterpillar knows her potential. She does not let herself be disheartened by life's challenges nor by what others think of her. Subtle invitations to awareness of breath and body, with visualization at the end. So grateful for your messages and donations to support more recordings!

(Music by S.Cheremisinov)

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

Are you comfortable and settled?

Ready for your storytime?

Alright,

Today I'm going to tell you the story of Honored the Caterpillar.

You'll see it's a story of a confident being who never let herself be disheartened by what people thought of her,

No matter what.

So let's go.

Oh,

Wait.

I heard something.

Did you?

Listen.

Somebody's walking.

Oh,

Yes.

It's Lucas.

Lucas was a little boy who lived right by the forest.

And every single day,

He would take a walk in the woods down a secret trail that started right behind his house.

He would always take with him his backpack,

The one with the buckle on top,

And he would load it with his water bottle,

Hazelnut cookies,

Which were his favorite,

And of course,

His magnifying glass.

For he was a very curious child,

Very observant.

He loved hearing the crackling of the leaves beneath his footsteps,

And he would sniff the fresh air of nature,

Filling up his lungs.

If you'd like,

You can take a deep breath in,

Just like him.

And imagine if you were coming along this adventure with him.

It smells like moist earth,

Like pine needles or pine cones.

He loved whistling on his walks.

After walking for a good while,

Like this,

Lucas decided to rest by a tall oak tree lying down on the ground.

I'm kind of tired,

He said to himself out loud.

Me too.

Lucas was startled.

He thought he heard a voice,

And yet there was no one around him.

So as if to convince himself that it was just his imagination,

He repeated even more loudly.

I'm really tired all of a sudden.

Me too.

I'm really tired.

You're not alone to feel like this.

Who's there?

Where does this voice come from?

Where are you?

Over here,

Inside the egg,

That white egg that's on the leaf next to your ear.

Lucas,

Who was still lying down,

Turned his head,

And in fact,

Right next to his ear was that leaf,

With a tiny little ball,

White.

Well how?

Inside this tiny egg?

But you're way too small to have such a big voice.

This is impossible.

Well,

If you don't limit yourself,

Anything is possible.

Wow,

And what are you doing in your egg?

Sounds like you're scratching or something.

You're right.

I'm actually scratching and spitting on the inside of my egg,

So that I can get out.

Amazing.

Let me come and take a look.

And so Lucas grabbed his magnifying glass to take a closer look.

Oh no,

That's too bad.

You're not going to be able to get out.

There's no door on your egg.

Well,

If you don't limit yourself,

Anything is possible.

Repeated the caterpillar.

Can I give you a hand?

Inquired Lucas.

That's very kind of you,

But I prefer to make the opening on my own.

I'm afraid you'd accidentally squish me.

However,

I would love it if you gathered about ten green leaves for me,

So I could eat them once I'm out,

Because I'll be very hungry.

Ten green leaves,

Please.

Sure,

I can do that,

Said Lucas.

Let me just get some water first.

Now listen to Lucas,

Reaching up for the leaves.

He was sighing every time,

Because he had to be on his tiptoes to reach up.

If you'd like,

You can count the leaves with him and breathe.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Okay,

Your snack is ready.

Thank you.

Actually,

I'm going to have a snack too.

On her end,

The caterpillar had also started making the same sound.

She had finally made a hole in her egg,

And she was now eating the whole shell of it.

So Lucas could finally see his friend.

She was a tiny caterpillar,

Off white body,

With a black head.

And just as soon as she was out,

She started making her way towards the offering of leaves that Lucas had harvested for her.

Hmm,

Thank you so much.

These are so good.

You're welcome.

Well,

I'm going to have to get going,

But can I come back and visit in a few days?

Sure,

But it won't take more than a couple days,

Because after that,

I'm going to have transformed into a big,

Multi-color caterpillar.

Well,

I'm not sure about that,

Said Lucas,

Because right now you just have two colors,

Black and white.

The caterpillar responded.

Well,

Like my mom often says,

If you don't limit yourself,

Anything is possible,

Interrupted Lucas.

Exactly.

Giggled the little caterpillar.

But tell me,

Next time,

Could you bring me some parsley leaves,

If you have that in your garden?

Parsley is my favorite.

Oh yes,

Of course.

I'll get some for you,

Said Lucas.

And the little caterpillar kept moving onward and upward,

Eating her way through the leaves.

Oh,

By the way,

Asked Lucas,

What's your name?

My name is Onward.

Edward?

No,

Onward,

Because I always keep moving forward,

Onward and upward,

No matter what comes my way.

I'm resilient and determined.

Well,

Nice to meet you,

Said Lucas.

I will see you in a couple days.

And in fact,

A few days later,

Lucas came back with his offering of parsley leaves.

He started looking around through the foliage for his black and white friend,

And was starting to get discouraged when he heard.

Over here,

He turned his head towards the sound,

And then found himself face to face with a huge multicolored caterpillar,

With yellow,

Bright green,

Black.

Wow,

How you've changed,

He exclaimed.

Well,

I told you I would get transformed,

And this is just the beginning.

Actually,

You've arrived just on time,

Before I disappear into my chrysalis.

Actually,

I could use a snack.

Can you give me one of those parsley leaves?

Oh,

Certainly.

Here.

But,

Here.

Can you tell me what happens in your cocoon?

Mmm,

Parsley is my favorite.

But,

To come back to the cocoon,

Actually,

I'm not gonna make a cocoon.

I'm gonna be in the chrysalis,

And that is one of the big mysteries of life.

Supposedly,

There's imaginal cells that will get me transformed,

Metamorphosed from the inside out,

Talking of which,

It's gonna get started soon.

I gotta get hooked on there.

Where,

Where are you gonna get hooked?

Ask Lucas.

On that leaf that's right by your head.

Do you mind putting me there?

And Lucas very gently put the caterpillar down on that leaf,

And onward moved herself underneath the leaf.

She then started producing some sort of sticky thread to hold herself upside down.

After this,

She said,

Wiggling her body,

I will start to transform.

I will go through metamorphoses,

First making the chrysalis,

And then transforming into a butterfly.

I can't quite picture you as a butterfly,

Noted Lucas,

But now I know that if you don't limit yourself,

Anything is possible,

Right?

Exactly.

But to transform oneself,

One has to be absolutely still,

Because all your energy is being mobilized to transform your life.

I hear it's actually the same thing for humans.

If you spend time being quiet and still,

Just observing life unfolding itself through you,

That can help you be aware and bring positive transformations in your life.

Lucas thought about what the caterpillar just said.

It's true that he himself likes sometimes to just rest and relax,

Not doing anything specific,

Getting a bigger perspective on life.

And so for a moment,

He tried to relax his legs,

His arms,

Breathing peacefully,

And then onward told him,

You know,

This is going to take a while.

If I were you,

I would go home and come back in a couple days.

I also need to rest a bit,

So I won't be able to entertain you in conversation.

Okay,

I won't bother you then,

Said Lucas.

So maybe see you in like a week?

The caterpillar was already too absorbed in her task to respond.

It seemed that something had taken over her.

And so a week later,

Lucas came back to see his friend.

And there he noticed the big chrysalis.

It was translucent,

And he could already make out the shape of a butterfly inside.

It looked like the insect was meditating,

Absolutely absorbed and at peace beyond sleep.

And breaking up his ears,

Calming a little closer,

Lucas could hear a sweet melody.

It was as if time was standing still as in a sacred moment.

And at last,

The metamorphosis completed.

A majestic butterfly with yellow wings and brown,

Black,

With white dots came out to unruffle its wings.

Wow!

Exclaimed Lucas.

You're a monarch butterfly,

Aren't you?

Wow!

Lucas,

You're still around.

So good to see you.

Come with me,

We'll find some flowers.

I could show you how butterflies gather nectar.

Onward the butterfly started to flutter around,

And Lucas lifted up his gaze in the sky,

Thinking out loud.

Oh wow,

How I wish I could fly.

Well,

You know,

Said Onward,

I've heard that humans can fly in their dreams.

So why don't you doze off for a little bit and fly?

And I will see you there,

In the sky,

Or on a flower.

Well,

I like your idea,

Said Lucas.

I was just feeling like taking a little nap,

Actually.

And so Lucas went back home,

Slipped into his comfortable cozy bed,

Closed his eyes,

And here,

Fully relaxed,

Without limits,

He finally found his freedom.

And he found himself flying,

Like a butterfly with spacious wings,

And underneath his eyelids,

He could see the unfolding of the landscape,

Yellow flowers,

The tip of the trees,

Rolling hills,

High mountains,

A waterfall,

The rays from the sun,

The fresh wind in his wings,

And the end of a long tale,

The story of Onward the Caterpillar.

See you soon.

Enjoy your flight.