Trust the Master Gardener: A Short Story
Chapter 1
For a caterpillar, Sofia Smallwhite was a fairly average insect. There really wasn’t anything that remarkable about her. She wasn’t even all that rare. There were plenty of Smallwhites who also lived in the garden on Eden Street, so it didn’t really make sense why she felt so lonely. But because there were so many other Smallwhites, it also made no sense the day Cooper Cabbagelooper noticed her.
Nobody really knew where Cooper had come from, or why he had moved into the garden. One day he wasn’t there, and the next day he was, just crawling along a cabbage leaf, steadily munching away.
Now, caterpillars generally don't live very exciting lives. But what Sofia noticed about Cooper is that he somehow missed that memo. Instead of sheltering from rainstorms on the underside of the cabbage leaves, Cooper would crawl out and dance in the rain. Instead of eating the lower leaves with the other caterpillars and working his way up, Cooper would climb all the way to the highest leaf he could reach, and eat his way down. In everything he did, he seemed like he was trying his very best to not be an ordinary caterpillar.
And the other caterpillars took notice. Mostly they smirked, or laughed, or shook their heads.
“Such an odd one,” they’d say.
But not Sofia. Though she never said it out loud, she admired Cooper. The things he did were things she always wanted to do, but never dared, too afraid of the judgement of other Smallwhites. So she watched Cooper from a distance, never talking, turning away when he’d glance in her direction, and living her ordinary life. There was no way she was gonna go talk to Cooper, and no reason for him to come to her. Until one day, that’s exactly what he did.
It started like any other day in the garden on Eden Street. Sofia crawled out onto the cabbage leaves with the other Smallwhites and started munching away. She never even noticed Cooper edging his way down from his usual perch.
“Hey,” his voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
Sofia turned around as fast as any caterpillar can. “Oh, hi,” she replied. “You startled me. Cooper, right?”
“Yep. And sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you. Its just… I don’t know… you looked a bit sad and lonely. You’re not keeping pace with the other Smallwhites like usual.”
“I’m not?” Sofia glanced around, and realized that, sure enough, the other caterpillars had advanced far beyond her.
“Yikes,” she gulped. “Guess I better scoot.”
“You could…” Cooper began. He grinned widely. “But have you ever seen the view from up top?”
Sofia shook her head. “I’m a caterpillar, not a daredevil.”
“It’s worth the climb. Great views, the youngest and freshest leaves, no crowds competing for the food. You should totally try it.”
Sofia glanced at her family again. In truth, she had secretly longed to follow Cooper for a long time. But what would the others think?
“It’s not like they’re going anywhere fast,” Cooper reasoned. “They’ll still be around when you come down.”
“Well… I guess I could come up. Just for a little bit.”
“Great! It’s been a bit lonely being all by myself. I’ve been hoping to find someone to share my adventures with. What is your name, by the way?”
“Sofia. Sofia Smallwhite.”
“That’s a beautiful name.”
Thus was born an odd but magical friendship. Every morning, Sofia rushed out to find Cooper and climb the cabbage plant all the way to the top. She fell in love with the higher view, where she could see so much more of the garden than she ever knew existed. She learned to love the breeze across her back. She learned to dance in the rain. When sparrows or chickadees would dart down, looking for an easy meal, she learned to tumble down the steep leaves into the very heart of the cabbage plant. When it rained really hard, the leaves turned into waterslides and the two caterpillars would fly down and splash into the shallow water that pooled in the plant’s center. Over and over and over, till they were so tired they could just barely crawl back up. Then Cooper would wrap his body around hers to warm her up till the sun came out to dry them both off.
It was a beautiful friendship, and Sophia loved every minute of it. She would even spend her nights dreaming of all the things she and Cooper would do next. And in spite of her family’s misgivings about Cooper’s shenanigans, Sofia found herself pulling closer and closer and closer. So when Cooper’s attitude suddenly shifted two weeks later, Sophia was absolutely dumbfounded.
“Cooper, you can’t just leave me! Does our friendship mean nothing to you? I was miserable before you happened to me! Is that what you want? For me to be miserable again?”
“I know it hurts, Sofia.” Cooper pressed his forehead against hers. “And I’m sorry it has to end like this. All I ever meant to do was help you feel alive in a season where you were sad. I truly didn’t realize how close we were going to grow. But it was never going to last forever. It can’t. I’m changing, Sofia. I can’t be a caterpillar forever. It’s time to make my cocoon.”
“Then I’ll cocoon, too!” Sofia urged. “We can both change, and then keep having adventures together! I need you, Cooper Cabbagelooper!”
“You don’t understand, Sofia. As caterpillars, we are similar. We look the same, we eat the same plants. But we aren’t the same. I’m a moth, Sofia. I’m a Cabbagelooper moth. You’re a Smallwhite butterfly. We are not the same. I’ve gotta live my life, and you have to live yours.”
“What if I don’t want to live mine, Cooper? You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Where am I ever gonna find a Smallwhite that’s like you? I can’t! If you leave me, I’m just going to be alone forever!”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Sofia,” Cooper whispered. “Don’t ever sell yourself short. You are amazing. You are spectacular. You are a beautiful caterpillar, and after you transform, you are going to be the most beautiful Smallwhite on Eden Street. I love you, Sofia, and I wish I could stay. But that isn’t how life works. As much as change hurts, the Master Gardener knew what he was doing when he made you. He has a purpose for you, and he has a purpose for me. Growing into it is going to hurt, but we can’t give up. We have to keep going. It’s time for me to meet my purpose. We have to trust the Master Gardener.”
With that, Cooper crawled away, leaving a very distraught Sofia to return to the rest of her clan alone. That night, Sofia wept. Bitterly.
Chapter 2
The day Cooper left, everybody noticed, and everybody whispered rumors. Some said he left Sofia to find another caterpillar on another cabbage plant on the other side of the garden. Some said he had been cheating with another caterpillar behind Sofia’s back the entire time. At best, they said that, even if he wasn’t a cheater, he still spent the entire friendship knowing that he was different, knowing that the friendship couldn’t last.
Sofia tried to ignore her family’s whispers and stares. She tried to believe Cooper’s last words.
We have to trust the Master Gardener.
Trust was hard, though. Doing life alone was hard. But Sofia pressed onward, eating her way toward her own metamorphosis.
In the meanwhile, Cooper never really truly left. Indeed, he was still on the same cabbage plant, on the same leaf where he said his farewell. But all the caterpillars, including Sofia, were too busy eating to look up and notice the pale green pod clinging tightly to the underside of the leaf above them.
From Cooper’s perspective, he was fast asleep. Though he had no concept of the passing time, he slept for days and days. Eventually, his sleep became lucid. He knew he was asleep, he knew he was in his cocoon, he could feel his body changing.
As time dragged on, sometimes he wondered if he would ever wake up. Suppose some child or animal was to happen along and crush him in his sleep? Suppose after all the leaves the caterpillars had consumed, the cabbage plant died and the Master Gardener would bury the remains, with Cooper still attached?
The thought was dreadful, but Cooper tried to speak his own words over and over. Trust the Master Gardener. Trust the Master Gardener. Even if his breakthrough might never come, trust the Master Gardener.
And so he trusted, and he slept. Then one day, after almost two weeks of waiting, Cooper realized he could see a faint shade of light slipping through the thin walls of the cocoon. His eyes were open! He was awake! This was the big moment of his breakthrough!
Cooper gulped. This was the moment of his big breakthrough. The most difficult struggle of his life. But it was now or never, do or die.
“Master Gardener, grant me strength,” Cooper whispered. So began the fight for his life.
Chapter 3
Though it seemed like an eternity to Sofia, it was really only a matter of days between Cooper’s departure and the start of her own journey. When Sofia finished eating, she crawled off the cabbage plant that she had come to know as her home. Inching through the dirt, Sofia wandered until she came upon the garden shed. A solid vertical wall, the perfect spot for her to seal herself up in a dingy brown cocoon. So when Cooper emerged from his sleep, Sofia was nowhere to be found.
“She must live her life,” Cooper thought, “as I must live mine.”
Naturally, being a moth, Cooper preferred to feed on flower nectar during the night, and hide away under the cabbage leaves by day. It was a lonely life. His chances of crossing paths with a daytime feeder were relatively low, and he hadn’t found other moths yet. But one evening, Cooper woke up a little earlier than usual. He crawled out to the end of a cabbage leaf and stretched his wings.
“Hey,” a familiar voice softly called from behind.
“Sofia?”
Cooper turned around. Sure enough, there was a Smallwhite butterfly resting on the leaf behind him.
“I’m not aware of any other moths in the garden,” she explained. “So when I saw you out here, I knew it had to be you.”
Cooper lowered his gaze to the leaf under his feet. “How have you been?” he asked.
“You were right.”
Cooper looked up. “I was? About what?”
“Trusting the Master Gardener,” Sofia answered. “When I got in my cocoon, I honestly half hoped I’d just never wake up. I didn’t want to emerge back into the world if you weren’t part of it. But in the time I spent inside, I realized something. The only reason I was in my cocoon was because losing you drove me to isolation. If I had never met you, I’d have just stayed a caterpillar forever, and that’s not the Master Gardener’s way. When I realized that, I realized I needed to fulfill his plan. I…”
Sofia lowered her own gaze, just for a moment, then lifted it to lock eyes with Cooper. “I’m with another Smallwhite,” she said. “We were actually just coming to the cabbage plant to set some eggs tonight.”
“Sofia, that's so beautiful! I’m glad for you. I’m really, truly happy. I’m glad you came to tell me.”
“What about you, Cooper? How have you been?”
“I’ve also been good. Haven’t mated for myself, yet, but I think it will happen one day. Because if I motivated you to transform, you motivated me to find my people. Before I met you, I was fine on my own. I didn’t need anyone. And I’m still genuinely okay on my own, even if I never find another moth. But you taught me that sharing life with someone else is a pretty special thing. You taught me to be open.”
“I’m glad.” Sofia smiled. “Trust the Master Gardener, Cooper. He’ll show you the way. But for now, I suppose I need to get these eggs laid.”
“Indeed, and I must be on my way to gather the evening nectar. It was good seeing you again, Sofia.”
“You too, Cooper. Fly safe.”
Cooper nodded and launched into the night sky. And somewhere on another cabbage plant, far on the other end of the garden, another Cabbagelooper moth emerged from her cocoon.
“Master Gardener, guard my flight, and guide my wings. And if there happens to be another moth out there, somewhere in the great big garden, may our paths one day cross, in your time.”
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