DOROTHY’S DREAMS Chapter 3 “Why Do You Need Legs?”

                               

                                              Chapter 3

                  “WHY DO YOU NEED LEGS?”

                    The butterfly asked, “So, what are you doing?” 

                “What do you mean?” asked Dorothy puzzled.

             “Well, you were building something, but you kept tearing it apart, so I was wondering what you were trying to do?” explained the butterfly.

               “ Oh! You meant the blocks,” said Dorothy, realising what the butterfly meant and replied, “Ah, I was trying to build a house, but that wall didn't turn out the way I wanted.”

                “ Wow! You can build a house with these?” asked the butterfly curiously.

                “Yeah,” said Dorothy indifferently. 

                “As big as your house?” asked the butterfly in awe.

                 “No, no,” said Dorothy, feeling rather ridiculous.

                “Then how big will it be?” asked the butterfly, a little disappointed.

              “It will be a small one, a toy house actually,” replied Dorothy. 

                “Can anyone live in it?” asked the butterfly. 

                 “ No”, replied Dorothy. 

                 “ Why to build a house where nobody can live?” asked the butterfly puzzled. 

                Dorothy felt lost; she had never thought of it before. But then she suddenly realised that it was a toy house and that nobody was meant to live in it. She explained this to the butterfly.

                 “ Oh,” nodded the butterfly “, but can I play in it?” it asked.

                 “ You want me to build a house for you to play in?” asked Dorothy. 

                   “ Yes,” said the butterfly eagerly. 

          Dorothy was reluctant because sharing her toys was not something she enjoyed. The thought of letting others use her belongings made her uncomfortable. However, it was the first time someone had asked her for something, and she eventually agreed. She began by stacking one block on top of another. Surprisingly, she found the activity to be quite enjoyable, especially as the butterfly fluttered around, offering praise and instructions. Soon, they had built a small toy house with a window and door. The butterfly flew in through the door and came out of the window. It flew around a few more times, shouting gleefully. It was so happy that it flew and sat on Dorothy’s shoulder. 

                “ Thank you so much, Dorothy, it was fun to have a house to play with,” said the butterfly heartily. 

                    Dorothy too felt very happy; the butterfly’s cheerfulness seemed so infectious that even gloomy Dorothy was happy and cheerful now. Nanny Debby called out to Dorothy through the kitchen window, “Dorothy dear,” in her gloomy deep voice, “would you like to come in now?” 

                    “No, Nanny Debby. I want to sit here for some more time,” replied Dorothy cheerfully. 

                    Nanny Debby was stunned. She looked out of the kitchen to check if everything was alright. It was not Dorothy’s words but her sudden cheerfulness that startled her. She couldn't see Dorothy’s face; if she had, then she could have found out when things began to change in Dorothy’s life. As she couldn't see her face, she looked carefully around Dorothy. There was nothing strange. 

                       She looked at the maid, next to her and asked, “Did you hear that?” 

                    “Ah, what?” replied the maid who seemed lost in her thoughts.

                     “ Hmmm, no, nothing,” said Nanny Debby getting back to work. She probably had imagined it. She had always wanted Dorothy to be happy and cheerful, so she wondered if she was hearing things because of it. 

                    The butterfly asked Dorothy, “Don’t you want to go in, Dorothy? It’s getting hotter out here." 

                        “No”, replied Dorothy, “ I don't want to go in yet. If I go in now, they will start nagging me about what I want for lunch. Then, complain if I don’t finish my food. Let them decide on what they want to cook.” 

              “Why don’t you finish your meals? Is their cooking that bad or what?” asked the butterfly sniggering. 

             “I don’t know much about cooking to say if it is bad or good; it is just that I don’t like to eat. I don’t want to eat,” replied Dorothy, showing a slight disgust. The butterfly stopped sniggering and looked flabbergasted.   

           “You don’t like to eat?” asked the butterfly in shock “Shouldn’t kids of your age eat like pigs?” 

        It was now Dorothy's turn to snicker. 

      “What?” asked Dorothy, still snickering. “I have never heard anyone say anything like that about young kids. If you meant we must eat a lot, then that was the most awful way to say it.”

       “ Well, that’s what it looked like when Punk eats his food. He devours all that is on his table.” said the Butterly little defiantly. 

             “Who is Punk?” enquired Dorothy. “A boy in the nearby neighbourhood,” replied the butterfly. 

                    Dorothy was about to enquire more about Punk when the butterfly interrupted her, asking, 

            “Why is it that you don’t like to eat Dorothy?” 

            “Well, what’s the point of eating?” asked Dorothy, shrugging her shoulders, “My parents say that I must eat well to stay healthy. But no matter how much I eat and how healthy the meal is, my legs are just the same. So why bother at all?” asked Dorothy with a scoff. 

                    “Your legs?” asked the butterfly, puzzled.

                     “Yes,” said Dorothy in a small voice, “I can’t walk.”

                The butterfly, which had been sitting on her shoulder till then, flew to the front of her face and asked, “Why do you need legs?”.

                Dorothy was dumbstruck and looked at the butterfly incredulously. Every person whomever she had met so far had always spoken about her disability in such a way that she believed that her legs were the most important thing in her life. And walking is all that she needs for a happy life. She was so shocked when the butterfly asked her why she needed legs that she was lost for words, and she just blustered out, “What?” 

            “Well,” asked the butterfly again, “ why do you need legs when you have wings?” 

.......... to be continued