Tammy had been walking in the woods. She was very excited because she had found something strange. "I must hurry home," said Tammy," and ask mother what this is."
She gazed at the object in her hand, then flitted through the woods, skirt held high to prevent branches from grabbing at it as she passed.
"Mommy! Mommy!" cried Tammy as she neared the house. "Look what I found!"
"Let's see, dear, and do come in out of the rain," said Mother. "Oh, it's a cocoon. Put it beside your bed and watch it for a few days. It has a beautiful surprise inside. It is more than an ugly shell."
"A surprise?" wondered Tammy, as she ran to her room. "O, I can hardly wait to see what it is!"
Tammy sat in her room watching the cocoon. Rain drops slithered down the window and folded into tiny puddles on the sill. "I wish you weren't so ugly," she said to the cocoon. "Maybe I could make you prettier with some paint."
"Mommy, she called. Do we have any paint?"
“What for, dear?" her mother asked.
"To paint the cocoon so it will be pretty."
Mother smiled to herself. "Come down to eat supper now, Tammy. The paint might hurt the surprise. Be patient. The shell won't always be there."
Tammy couldn't understand how so ugly a shell could contain something beautiful. As she came downstairs she asked, "Do I get a story tonight?"
Mother answered, "Yes, I'll tell you the story of Cinderella. She is very much like your cocoon."
Later that night Mother finished the story by saying "and after the prince tried the glass slipper on the ragged Cinderella, he realized she was the beautiful princess who had fled from the Ball at midnight. He was happy that he had had the patience to search for her."
"Mommy," said Tammy, "I wish the cocoon were beautiful like Cinderella. Do you think I will find out what the surprise is soon?"
"Have patience, dear," said Mother as she left the room.
"I don't know why things have to be ugly," thought Tammy. "I think everything ought to be beautiful, even cocoons." And she fell asleep.
What's that?" she thought. She turned to look at the cocoon. Her eyes grew wide in amazement. It was open ... and empty!
Tammy jumped out of bed and kneeled on the floor. Moonlight fell softly about her shoulders and made the room glow with heavenly splendor. As she reached for the empty cocoon something fluttered onto her finger. It was a bright blue butterfly! Tammy hardly breathed.
The clock was striking twelve.
(by Constance H. Hard, ‘The Child’s Way’ magazine, no. 59, October 1958)
