About Mila-Kate and the Blue Butterfly
Status: Second draft completed. Undergoing a copy edit by Bobbi Beatty of Silver Scroll Services
Mila-Kate loves a blue butterfly that rests on the ledge outside the window. When she goes outside for a closer look, the butterfly flies away. No matter how fast she runs, she can never get close enough to the butterfly to really see it properly. Her mother decides to help her by making Mila-Kate a “blue butterfly catching dress” for her fourth birthday. They go to a fabric shop to buy material for the dress and while Mila-Kate watches, her mom makes her a beautiful blue dress for her birthday party.
Wearing her new dress, Mila-Kate goes with her mother to the local park where her birthday celebrations are to be held. Her mom guides Mila-Kate over to a bush of blue hydrangeas upon which sits many blue butterflies. She tells Mila-Kate to stand perfectly still and then backs away. One by one, the butterflies leave the bush to settle on Mila-Kate’s dress until it is covered with blue butterflies. At last she gets to see her favourite butterfly close up.
Sample
“Mom! Mom! I want to run. I want to run really
fast,” Mila-Kate said as she ran into the kitchen where
her mom was pulling some fresh baked yummy chocolate
brownies out of the oven.
“You can run really fast, but not in the kitchen. There
are just too many hot, hot things in here,” Mila-Kate’s
mom told her.
Mila-Kate watched her mom scoop the hot, hot, yummy,
chocolate brownies out of the hot, hot pan and onto the
cool cooling rack.
“But Mom, I know I can run really fast. I want to run
really, really, really fast and I try so hard,” said Mila-
Kate.
“Don’t worry. You are almost four years old now. When
you are five years old, I know you will be able to run
really, really, really fast,” her mom told her.
“But I tried so hard. I put on my favourite dress, my
fairy dress with its beautiful fairy wings and I ran so fast
that my fairy wings flapped up and down. I still couldn’t
run really, really, really fast,” Mila-Kate cried.
“Oh Mila-Kate, you are nearly four years old now. But
when you are six years old, I know you will be able to
run as fast as the wind. The wind can run really, really,
really fast,” her mom told her.
“But Mom, I tried so hard again. This time, I took my
magic wand and waved it in the air as I ran. I shouted
’Aberakadabera’ over and over and over again but I still
could not run really, really, really fast,” said Mila-Kate
as she felt a tear come out of her eye and run down her
cheek until it fell onto the front of her favourite fairy
dress.
“Well Mila-Kate, you are not quite four years old now.
But when you are seven years old, I know you will be
able to run as fast as our dog Goldie, and she can run
really, really, really fast,” her mom told her.
“But Mom, I even put on my blue and pink and yellow
striped running shoes and I could not run really, really,
really fast. Please Mom, you have to help me,” Mila-
Kate cried as she felt a tear come out of her other eye
and run down her other cheek until it fell onto the front
of her favourite fairy dress.
“But Mila-Kate, why do you want to run really, really,
really fast?” her mom asked her.
“Because I love the colour of the blue butterfly that
sits on the flowers outside my window. Every time I try
to get close to it, it flaps its wings and flies away. I run
as fast as I can but I still can’t catch it. I love that blue
butterfly so much,” Mila-Kate cried until she felt many
tears coming out of both of her eyes and running down
both of her beautiful red cheeks until they fell onto the
front of her favourite fairy dress.
Mila-Kate felt her mom gently grasp both of her hands
and saw her look into her eyes.
“Now, Mila-Kate, you are going to be able to catch
your blue butterfly. You won’t need to wait until you
are seven years old when you will be able to run as fast
as our dog Goldie.
You won’t need to wait until you are six years old when
you can run as fast as the wind. You won’t need to wait
until you are five years old when you will be able to run
really, really, really fast.
All you will need to do is to wait until your fourth
birthday and then you will be able to catch your blue
butterfly,” Mila-Kate’s mom told her.
“But how will I be able to catch my blue butterfly when
I turn four years old? That’s next week and I won’t be
able to run really, really, really fast in five days time,”
Mila-Kate asked her mom.
“Ahhh…that’s because we are going to be really smart.
For your birthday, I’m going to make you a blue butterfly
catching dress,” her mom told Mila-Kate as she let go of
her hands and kissed the wet tears on her cheeks.
Mila-Kate felt so much better now. She felt a small
smile starting to spread her face. Her smile became big-
ger until it was a grin and then bigger still until it became
a laugh. Mila-Kate was so happy now that her tears all
dried up and she gave her mom a big hug.
Mila-Kate just knew she would be able to catch her
favourite blue butterfly when she was wearing the blue
butterfly catching dress her mom was going to make for
her.