At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉
We've been having butterflies everywhere. I first saw them on Friday, but I wasn't surprised, as the news reported what was happening. And it was just amazing to stand as butterflies flew past me. (It wasn't as fun as they flew past as I drove my car. I was very anxious about not hitting them.)
But I can't take these things at face value...
What if this isn't a butterfly migration? What if they butterflies are fleeing something we can't see?
Then maybe we should fly with them!
ReplyDeleteIf only we could...
DeleteThat would be a frightening thought and one where I would try to head for cover so as not to be seen. If it is a natural disaster, I would still try my best to save myself and my family.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope it's a natural disaster and not an alien invasion... ;(
DeleteI agree with Sherry, maybe we should go with them. But then of course we don't know if they are fleeing or not. Maybe we should be a more diligent though and check things around us and see if we should be fleeing too.
ReplyDeletebetty
It must have been so amazing to see the butterflies fluttering around you. I mean, yeah, the thought of them running from something unseen is scary, but it would be so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteLike when birds flee a storm on sea? I guess if butterflies were fleeing, it might be something in the air, something toxic.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid I often wondered if all the traffic going the other way out of town was fleeing from a gigantic monster (like in Jack in the Beanstalk) running down the mountain.
ReplyDeleteI'd be fleeing, too. But, I see this migration of butterflies is due to the superbloom - something I would have loved to have seen. I wonder if I'll run into butterflies wherever I go this year like I did last year. I was getting to think there was a supernatural reason to that.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I wonder what was causing that.
DeleteHi Liz - I wrote about them 10 years ago (I know!) ... ours come over from Africa, lay their eggs and go back. They've been tagging them and there's quite a lot known about their migratory routes ... ours vary some come up via Spain, others go further east and come on up ... insects are quite amazing - fascinating little things - so pretty ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteLiz,
ReplyDeleteI spotted your comment on Part-Time Hockey Mom's A2Z Theme Reveal post and I thought I'd pop in. Somehow I lost connection with you. I'm sure I'm to blame as I stay buried in my normal niche of blogging so if someone such as yourself falls outside that realm then it becomese difficult for me to routinely visit. *sigh* Anywho, I've played along in your meme before and thought I'd throw my own response to your 'What if?' sceniro. Ooo, an influx of butterflies unrelated to migrator urges...like in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller the Birds? I guess the good news is one wouldn't have to worry about the butterflies killing ya but I'd say having a swamp of them would be aggrevating. Oh the what if...perhaps the heavy population of butterflies is a warning for those to get ready for something big to happen. Maybe a natural disaster or even something on a larger scale like the rapture (aka the end of time). Farmers used to, maybe still do, pay close attention to the behavior of critters to know what the weather forecast might bring - good crops or bad. I'm certain such a phenomena would mean something but to the untrained eye it would be sheer enjoyment to witness. I'm taking part in the A2Z challenge again this year and when time permits, then maybe you'll want to check out my Theme Reveal. Have a blessed week!
It's funny how the blogging connections ebb and flow.
DeleteWell unless they stop and whisper in my ear that they are fleeing and I need to pack a bag....then I will probably become the meal for whatever is coming! haha
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the problem. Butterflies don't talk.
DeleteOoh, like an alien invasion. Maybe even to return to their mother ship. ~grin~ Last summer there were all kinds of butterflies near the country cemetery where my mother's cremains are interred. I'm happy to say they all skimmed over my car when in our driving path.
ReplyDeleteMost of the butterflies skimmed over my car, too. But there was that one...
DeleteShould definitely listen to animals if they're doing it outside of their normal times for movement.
ReplyDelete