Cosmo the caterpillar wasn't like the other caterpillars. While they munched happily on green leaves, dreaming of becoming butterflies with bright, bold patterns, Cosmo worried. He wasn’t very colorful. He was mostly…beige. A very pale, almost see-through beige. He tried eating red berries, hoping to turn pink, and nibbled on yellow flowers, wishing for a golden hue, but nothing worked. He remained stubbornly beige.
The other caterpillars, especially a particularly flashy one named Lumi, would giggle. “Look at Cosmo, the colorless caterpillar!” Lumi would call out, fluttering her wings which were already starting to show hints of sapphire and ruby. Cosmo would curl up, feeling smaller and more beige than ever. He wished he could just disappear.
Old Man Tiber, a wise, slow-moving caterpillar with stripes of silver, noticed Cosmo’s sadness. He crawled over to Cosmo, his many legs moving with a gentle rhythm. “What troubles you, little one?” he asked kindly.
Cosmo explained his worries, how he didn’t fit in and how he wished he could be colorful like the others. Old Man Tiber listened patiently, then smiled. “Cosmo,” he said, “you are focusing too much on *becoming* and not enough on *being*. Each caterpillar transforms in its own way, in its own time. Your color isn’t what matters; it’s the kindness in your heart and the patience you show.”
Cosmo thought about this. He *was* a very kind caterpillar. He always helped smaller caterpillars reach the juiciest leaves and shared his favorite spots in the sun. He was also very patient, waiting his turn for the best leaves and never rushing his meals. Maybe Old Man Tiber was right.
He decided to stop trying to change his color and just be himself. He continued to be kind and patient, and he started to enjoy simply being a caterpillar. He helped Lumi gather dew drops one morning, even though she had teased him before. Lumi, surprised by his kindness, apologized for her earlier behavior.
Then, something amazing began to happen. Cosmo started to build his chrysalis. It wasn’t a plain beige chrysalis, though. It shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow – tiny flecks of red, yellow, blue, and green, all swirling together. It was the most beautiful chrysalis anyone had ever seen!
The other caterpillars gathered around, amazed. Even Lumi was speechless. Cosmo, inside his shimmering chrysalis, felt a peaceful warmth. He knew Old Man Tiber was right. Change was happening, but it wasn’t about *becoming* someone else; it was about revealing the beauty that was already inside him.
Finally, the day came when Cosmo emerged. He wasn’t a butterfly with bold, bright patterns like Lumi. Instead, his wings were translucent, like stained glass, and they caught the sunlight, scattering rainbows everywhere he flew. He was uniquely, wonderfully Cosmo.
Lumi flew beside him, admiring his wings. “You’re the most beautiful butterfly I’ve ever seen!” she exclaimed. Cosmo smiled. He had learned that being yourself, with all your quirks and colors (or lack thereof!), is the most magical thing of all. And as he fluttered through the garden, spreading rainbows with every beat of his wings, he knew that even a little beige caterpillar could shine.