| Waterbugs and Dragonflies
Waterbugs and Dragonflies
by Dori Stickney
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of Waterbugs. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did not notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with its friends. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily, it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look,” said one of the water bugs to another. "One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk, where do you suppose she's going?" up up up it went slowly. Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn’t return.
"That’s funny" said on water bug to another
"wasn’t she happy here?" asked second water bug.
"Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.
No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally, one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where she or he went and why." "We promise." They said solemnly
One spring day, not long after the very water bug that had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water and fell on the broad green lily pad above.
When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he saw!! A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings.
The warmth of the sun soon dried up the moisture from his new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly. Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go in the water.
"I can’t return!" He said in dismay. "At least I tried, but I can’t keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the Waterbugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what happened to me, and where I went."
And with that, the dragonfly winged off happily into its new wonderful world of sun and water.
Submitted by Richard
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