Tango Butterfly

And I promised I would tell you about my time in Buenos Aires dancing the tango, my dear Windmill.

– Oh, yes! I am ready to hear that tale dear butterfly. Buenos Aires? That is very far away…in South America, I believe.

– Well let me tell you a little secret, I was born there.

And so it was that when I was old enough, old enough to be sad to leave, I had to fly far away from my country of birth. Life was too hard there for me and my family so we flew away. I never forgot the tango. I used to sit on a tree in La Boca and watch the humans dancing the tango on the street. They were free to dance on the street! I so wanted to dance!

So every day I would get the chores done at home and before school I would go to La Boca to watch the dancing. I could not get enough of it. I wanted to learn but I kept being told I was too young and anyway butterflies do not dance the tango. In Argentina or anywhere else.

I just kept coming to watch anyway.

And then one day, I felt something touching my wings.

– Would you like to be a human and dance the tango for a day? I can make that happen for you. I am the Butterfly Fairy.

– Yes! Can you? Really?

– I can. But only for a day and then you will never fly again.

But – said the windmill- no more flying? You do still fly. I am confused.

…and at the time I did not know I would again. The Butterfly Fairy was testing my passion for the dance, she never planned to leave me flightless. And I said yes from the bottom of my heart. I wanted to dance more than anything in the world.

– come back tomorrow and we will do it  right here – she said and disappeared.

I could not sleep a wink all night. I was going to finally dance the tango the next day.

It was painless. The change, I mean. I had done it before when I became a butterfly. after all.

And I danced and danced all day until I could barely stand. I went to sleep and then woke up a butterfly again. Time passes and even those moments you want to hold forever dissolve back into the earth.

But after that day I was not the same. Flying had lost its lustre for me. Why fly when you can walk and dance? When you can touch the ground with your feet at each step?

I finished school and things were tough at home as I told you earlier. I did not help matters at home always mopping and wishing I could walk. My family decided to fly away and leave Buenos Aires for Europe. I still remember the boat leaving the harbour. We were not strong enough to fly across to the other side of the world, so we settled on a boat that was making the journey whilst we could rest for most of the way. We did not know what awaited us the other end.

Well, as you know what awaited us was life in Holland and getting to know you and being best friends with you. So it was not all bad. Yet, I missed dancing for a long time. Then, one day I realised something. If a stopped flapping my wings and let the wind carry me, it was just like I was back there in La Boca dancing the tango. And ever since I discovered that, it is like I am dancing the tango every time I fly back here to see you.

And that is why everyone calls me Tango Butterfly.

Behind the scenes

I have been dithering about this story for too long!

So I went back to the story spine and used it to structure my first fairy tale. I am sure it can be improved and I am really happy for any of you storytellers to edit this post to your heart’s content. I just wanted to get a story out there and then build on it through the summer. I want to add gifs to it and make it into a multi-media experience. But not tonight.