The butterfly, black with iridescent green bands running lengthwise across it wings, fluttered about, just out of reach of Daphne. The young girl of twelve summers marveled at the beauty of the flying wonder, attempting to follow, singing as she did. Like flying eyes, she envisioned. She thought not to capture, instead simply pursuing.

She sang words as she thought them into being. “Come to me my love, come to me. You can dance around my head and I’ll sing to thee. Life is full of sorrow, and everywhere we turn, nothing but misfortune, nothing but dread. Although today the sun is shining and we have one another. Let us play in amazement. Let us dance for joy. You fly about and I’ll twirl upon my feet.”

The young girl ran out of words as she fell to the ground laughing. The butterfly was attracted. It hovered above her. The girl, a bit blinded by the sun, reached out her hand, her finger extending, a perching point. The butterfly responded, resting from its flight. Daphne grew silent, awed the butterfly chose to land upon her finger.

“Oh my sweet flying one you honor me so. It is so wonderful you grace me with your presence. I do not mean to bother you yet your beauty is so grand. I could not help but want you to share in life with me. Here you are and forever my heart is touched.”

The butterfly launched itself, sailing directly into Daphne’s face, causing an eruption of great laughter.

“Now you tease me silly one.”

The butterfly flittered about as Daphne rose to a sitting position. A loud plopping came from the lake she loved to play and gather flowers aside. She thought of the large ugly eyes she had seen for the last several weeks. Their appearance was sporadic, yet they were there in the water. Something strange and large was observing. Now, she realized attached to the eyes was a body emerging from the water.

Covered in mud and slime, the body was difficult to distinguish. Weeds hung everywhere about, although with emergence came distinguishing, the body was four legged. It was a frog of immense proportion, plodding to shore like a toad, rather than hopping. In no hurry, the frog ponderously ambled to Daphne.

Daphne felt no fear by the supernatural beast approaching. In fact, it brought more laughter as the butterfly landed upon its head.

“My friend the beautiful butterfly who appears as eyes flying finds you suitable for landing my friend the frog who has been watching for days.”

The frog stopped in advance. It reviewed the butterfly, before wickedly letting out with a sting from its killing tongue. The butterfly easily avoided the attack.

“Why you would eat my friend?”

“No. I would just kill it. I would not eat it. However as usual it is too crafty and fast. I should not have wasted my time.”

“I hope you have not been watching me with such cruel intent. I have seen your eyes above the water observing.”

“It is due to your horrendous singing. I had to see who was making such a racket.”

“My voice offends you.”

“Greatly. It bothers me tremendously. I came to speak to you about going away from here. I do not want you coming around that which I now claim as my home. If worse comes to worst, I will take drastic measures.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I only speak the truth.”

The frog lazily made its way next to Daphne. The two sat observing the lake as they spoke to one another.

“You make me sad.”

“I cannot help how you choose to be. That butterfly has been coming around to hear you sing for days. I am getting tired of all this nonsense.”

“How can you say such a thing? Do you speak with the butterfly?”

“I know things. I was once very powerful, although in current days, I have fallen upon hard times. You do know there are others near just to hear your voice?”

“What do you mean?”

“Over there, underneath that shrubbery, is a fox. She has come for days just to hear you sing. She lost her pups to sickness and now only your singing brings comfort to her heart.”

“The poor thing!” Daphne stood, speaking with a loud voice. “Hello Mrs. Fox. My heart is crushed by the news of your children. Life is sorrowful and you have shared in the dignity of suffering. My heart is close to you because I too have suffered.”

From out of the shrubbery emerged a fox. The fox galloped across the field, stopping before disappearing to look in the direction of Daphne.

“You are a silly girl. You know nothing about suffering. Why do you spread lies? You think it is appropriate to lie to the fox in order to appease her?”

“I know of suffering. You speak as if you know all things, yet already I see that many things you say are not truth. You claim to speak truth, yet I fear you do not embrace such a noble way.”

“Ohhh, you of so little years, dare to stand in judgment. I have existed for many, many, years.” The frog spit out his wicked tongue, nabbing a water bug as it raced by. The frog turned his grotesque eyes toward Daphne. “Suffering, please? You know nothing of it.”

“”You are wrong. I have lost my father and my village was attacked.” The young girl could not hold back tears. “I have memories of my father. He loved me so much and my mother, my brothers, and sisters, we, hold him so dear in our hearts. He is gone, yet will never be forgotten. Our love only grows stronger with time for there is nothing in life I could desire more than to see my father again.”

“What happen to your father? He grew tired of you and ran off to war and was killed?”

Daphne sat up, staring hard at the frog. “You are cruel. My father loved me. He never grew tired of me. He was killed when he went with the other men of our village to protect us against a terrible dragon that haunts our people. That terrible dragon killed my father. He killed both my grandfathers.”

“I know of this dragon you speak of. You must hate him severely for all the suffering he has inflicted upon your life.”

“I do not care about the dragon. He has made himself a deadly enemy to those I love. All I know is the love for those who love me.”

The frog stared hard into the distance, the eye furthest away from Daphne filling with a tear.

“So if you know of so much sorrow why do you sing so damned much?”

“I sing because of those who love me, the sun and the beauty of life. I cannot let the dragon win for if he curses hatred and doom into my life then he has won the eternal battle.”