When the pen takes control.

I had one impulse, it consumed my desire. I was dangling on a gossamer thread that was tethered high above my head. I stared up, fixing my eyes on the branch, not daring to look down. Out of the corner of my eye I could see all of my siblings starting to move upwards. A relentless tide of greenish-yellow bodies, each hoping to be the first to reach the succulent leaves that had overnight covered the branches of  the birch tree, our ultimate goal. We all moved with one intent, to eat the sweet-tasting, luxuriant, green parcels of protein. Within minutes I had reached the smooth bark and I knew I would have to start eating the leaves. I would eat until my body felt like bursting at the seams. It was time to spread out along the branches as they became thinner, gradually dwindling to bushy growth.

I looked around and realised trouble was brewing. Small yellow birds had noticed that there was now a bounty of food and they were able with very little effort to pick up beak-fulls of juicy bodies that they could carry back to their nests. Each nest full of ravenous mouths chattering and clamouring to be fed.  We would be an easy meal for the little chicks to digest and grow. I slunk along the twig trying to keep by body as low as possible, hoping not to be noticed before I reached the shelter of the leaf clumps. Then I could satisfy my hunger.

I started on the leaves nibbling away  at the juicy green leaf-edges. Drawing myself up and then stretching out to take the next mouthful. Delicious! After a few hours, during which I managed to consume at least forty times my own weight of food I knew it was time to sleep. I hooked my claws into the bottom of an uneaten leaf and rapidly fell asleep. For the next few days I woke early and spent all of the daylight hours eating, hiding from the birds and retiring to sleep as it started to darken.

On the fourth morning I awoke after a restless night and it felt as though someone had wrapped me in a thick cloak. I twisted , turned and kicked until I managed to break free. I poked my head out of a strange-smelling, brown tube.  I was exhausted so I just sat and rested It was then that I noticed my body had changed. My head was bigger, my eyes were brighter. My heartbeat was stronger and there were two growths on my shoulders. They got bigger and bigger . Wings! Somehow during the night I had managed to rebuild my body and I could fly for I was now a butterfly. Now there was no time to eat but another urge surged through my beautiful body.