Butterflies

A short story by Moon

## Dedication

*For you, Matrix. The person I never met, yet knew every single thing about you. I hope you are able to see this book, and know how much I appreciate our friendship. Waiting for you to return on Fandom every single day, taking breaks hoping when I return you'll be there. Waiting for my other half which I never met, yet is already missing.*

## Story

A middle-aged woman was sitting in a park. She wasn't watching anything in particular, she had no family. She was just watching a butterfly, like she does everyday. Kids would watch her, wondering what she was doing, but too afraid to go up and ask her about it.

A young group of kids was playing around. They turn to the tiniest one of the group, a young girl around the age of seven. They then turn to the woman who always sits here on the bench staring at something all day. The leader of the small group of friends grins. "Let's play a small game, Linda."

She shivers slightly, her legs trembling. "Y-y-yes Oliver. What game do you want me to p-p-play." She stammers looking at the male, at least three inches taller than her. She was quite frightened of him, he was the main source of one of her totures.

"Oh," Oliver spits, his voice coming out in a low growl. "You're letting me choose now? Not when WE wanted to go to the movies and not this park!" His voice ended in a yell of rage to the world.

Linda flinches back, almost falling. This was happening far too often, but she was to afraid to leave him. "Y-y-yes."

"Well, I appreciate it," Oliver mutters, his voice softening. "I would like you to go over to that woman over there," he points at the woman sitting on the bench staring out at the park, "and ask her what she is doing here everyday."

"O-ok-okay." Linda stammers, her eyes wide with fear. Everyone was scared of her, and for good reason to.

After Oliver gives her a firm stare. She truns around and runs off towards the woman.

The woman, Beatrix, watches as the small figure runs up to her. She smiles, another young child curious about what she was doing here. Another one forced to face the truth of the wicked world. How pleasant it would be to ruin this child's life. *Hush,* her mind whispers to her. She quietly breathes, staring at the young girl. She smiles politely, tilting her head at the frightened child.

She trembles at the sight of her. *That is reasonable,* her mind chimes. She really didn't care, the poor girl would warm up sooner or later. All she had to do was ask Beatrix, and then all her work would be complete.

The little girl soon stops trembling. She widens her eyes, in fear and wonder as she looks at Beatrix's simile. "H-hi," she stammers. Beatrix looks softly down at her, worried about what could have made this child terrified. "I was wondering if you could tell me why you always come to the park."

Beatrix similes, sweet and soft. "Well, how about we tell each other our names first? I'm Beatrix, what is your name?"

The young girl smiles, lighting up her entire face. It was as if no one bothered to learn her name. "No one has asked me that before." She breathes, as if Beatrix was solving all of her problems by asking her that simple question. "My name is Linda, Beatrix."

"Well, Linda," Beatrix replies, "the butterfly that flies around here has a curse. Whoever it lands on first will be murdered in the middle of the night, and dragged back to this park. The thing is, I'm trying to catch this murderer."

"Why haven't the detective and the police figured out the murderer yet?" Linda mummers, her fear battling with her awe.

Beatrix chuckles, the little girl was trapped in the web of wonder, hee world about to be destroyed once she finds out about the dangers of the world. "Well the murderer leaves no clues towards their identity. I personally think it is a wonder how someone managed to hide everything, even their fingerprints."

"Oh my," Linda gasps. Her wonder was even more intense now. Wanting to know how the stories about everyone the murderer had killed. "How did they kill? What were their ages? What were their dangers? Did they wake up before they died at the hands of the murderer? Will I eventually be murdered?"

WIP