The Creator opened his Great Book of Many Things to the page of Hibiscus. He saw a vast forest of Hibiscus plants upon which lived many creatures great and small. On a particular plant lived the Purple Big-eared Caterpillar, who was a great caretaker, munching away on the leaves and taking gentle care to help it grow. Also there were many sparrows and jays, who plucked and ate the fat purples from the leaves whenever they could, taking only what they needed. The caterpillars heard many things with their big ears, and soon they learned that the more they munched and cared for the plant, the taller it would grow. The bigger leaves would mean more protection from the sparrows and jays, and also there would be more of it to munch. So they munched and cared away and the plant grew and grew until it was the tallest plant in the forest, its huge leaves blocking out the sun in a deafening roar of munching. Soon the other plants and their caretakers slowly died away until nothing was left but one giant Hibiscus covered with Purple Big-Eared Caterpillars. This went on for many ages until one day, a certain caterpillar munching away near the stalk of the plant, discovered that it would soon be chewed through and that the great plant would surely fall. Below was now nothing but a great desert, and there would be nowhere else to munch. He told this to his fellow purples, but their big ears were now filled with the incessant roar of munching, and however hard he tried, they could not hear his words. So he decided to stop listening to the munching and soon his big ears detected a very different sound, faint and distant. He listened harder and harder until suddenly his big ears developed into the beautiful yellow wings of a butterfly. The wings then carried him far away from the plant and toward the little sound. It was a harrowing journey, and his bright yellow wings attracted many sparrows and jays, who bit and chased him until he finally reached another forest, filled with healthy new plants. There were plenty of Hibiscus, with butterflies and caterpillars of all the colors of the rainbow, and a sound of quiet munching as they carefully took care of their plants. He returned to his home as fast as he could and started to shout his news into the big ears of the purples. Most could still not hear over the deafening crescendo of munching. Some listened and were afraid, but continued to munch. Some of the younger ones however quickly developed wings of their own after hearing the news, and fluttered about the plant finding new leaves to munch. The older, fatter purples did not understand why the yellows were not munching, and tried to munch away at their beautiful wings wherever they landed. So some folded and hid their wings, but continued to whisper the news. Still others decided to leave the Hibiscus completely, where some were gobbled up by the sparrows and jays while others made it safely to the distant forest. Soon after, the great Hibiscus toppled under the tremendous weight of all the purples, with a crash which finally silenced the roar of munching. The fat purples were left to crawl about in the sand, with nothing left to munch, until they were all gobbled up by the sparrows and jays. From the carnage however, rose a beautiful cloud of yellow fluttering wings, which quietly took to the sky and found new ways to live. The Creator smiled and closed his Great Book of Things until another day.

-- rob