Insects have their featuresBy Anouk Laferrère

My twin owners in their thirteens, and I, were taken to spend our summer holidays with our twin uncles, Stanford and Stanley Pines in an unknown & unusual village in Douglas, Oregon. We were waiting, enthusiastically and impatiently, for our arrival. Jennifer was listening to music, while Jannett patted me. We had never seen our uncles before on account that we lived 2000 kilometers away. That’s why, this, was the perfect reason to meet them. As soon as we arrived, we noticed that a strange and mysterious atmosphere dominated the area. Something odd was happening right there.

After the long & heavy trip on a stinky bus, we got to know our uncles. They were two men of 42 years old, approximately, who lived in a cottage in the outskirts of the city. It was a big wooden house, used like an attraction for tourists with peculiar animals made up of different types of animals & odds & ends, called ‘Mystery Shack’, directed by both, Stanford & Stanley. upon our arrival, we were sent to a damp attic with two tiny beds in the last level of the house, with blue mould in the ceiling & spiderwebs in its corners.

After the moon had fallen down and the sun showed up, we decided to explore the surroundings. We were traveling around when, for an instant, we got separated. Jennifer entered the shack, Jannett started investigating the land,

and, for a moment, I was alone walking in the centre of the woods. I was involved in an excursion down the bushy trees, when, suddenly, I saw a little dim object. I got captivated by it, so I approached and began to distinguish what it was. As soon as I arrived it, I understood. It was a tiny, gloomy and curious butterfly laying down on a grey huge stone.

When I laid next to its path, all of a sudden, it was attached to my body. I started running out of control towards the house, to announce what had happened. “Oink! Oink!”, I called my owners with despair.

Jennifer, a blonde stylish learner, with extensive knowledge of fantastic animals, & Jannett, blonde, as Jennifer, but with more expertise in nature, like Fauna & Flora, also called “The J’s”, were observing the peculiar elements of the new town, when I came running as fast as I could. “Piglet! What have you been doing?” They both exclaimed ironically, knowing I could never answer. And, as soon as I approached them, they both glanced upon me.

“What is this mysterious insect attached to your body?” Jennifer said suspiciously staring at the queer flying insect on my body side.

While, Jennifer was trying to analyse the species the insect came from, I began to feel different, but in a terrible way. My eyes turned red, my body became green & black, my legs began to get stronger, and two horns grew from my nose. All of a sudden I had transformed into a monster!

“Ahhh!!!”, both shrieked, so loud that they could have shooed the birds of every tree of the woods. “Get away!”, the J’s shouted to me. “It's me, Pigglet!”, I tried to explain. Nevertheless, it was not enough that they could not understand me. My appearance had changed so much, that they could hardly recognise me. I seemed to had become into a dark green, fat phenomenon, with two wide horns below my nose, who moved to & fro by four strong & muscled short legs. However, although my image had changed a lot,

I kept my collar with my licence plate, otherwise, they could have never identified me.“Jen, look, that plate looks familiar to me…”, Jannett exclaimed, and immediately, “It’s Pigglet’s, Jan!, realised Jennifer with enthusiasm & relief, knowing, now, she would not be eaten by the most horrible of the creatures.

As soon as they found out it was me the monster they had in front, they began to look for an explanation for the recent event.

“Okey! Bring quickly our science kit. Meanwhile, I am looking for some samples of plants…” , Jannett remarked.

While Jennifer was carrying the kit, she caught a glimpse of a creature she thought of having seen before, similar to the one on my body, which was no more there, as we heard, “Hey guys! Isn't that the one on Pigglet?... It may help us to reduce our choices for the quest of the cause…”

Hence, Jennifer, using all her philosophy about fantastic animals, & Jannett, using her learning about nature, both, started experimenting the natural elements from the middle of the forest, from where I came from some minutes before this transformation happened.

After a while, they realised that the cause of my transformation was the tiny dim flying insect which belonged to a species called ‘VORSIPELLIS’ (makeover) Nevertheless, they were so cheerful about their new discovery that accidentally, Jannett freed the butterfly, and entering into the forest, it flew and flew far and far away. Immediately, both of the J’s made the news know, asking if someone had seen a little dark butterfly somewhere.

The J’s were expanding the advertisement, when a teenager group of friends of Wendy Middleburg, 16, their uncle's employee, passed through their eyes. So my owners acted swiftly and requesting the matter, after Mark, 16, jumped of fear because of me, pointed,

“Near the ‘Hole without end’... flying around the ‘Dead Tree’”

“Thanks!”, the three of us replied, “But… we are new in here… Will you join us pleaseeee?

With some sense of superiority, “Sure! Join me!”, Mark answered leaving the band in the Shack.

By the time we were reaching the tree, after searching and searching for the butterfly, we finally found it laying down the same gigantic grey stone it was before.

Jannett was about to catch it, when it started flying, and unfurling from the stone, it began to circle round the ‘Hole without End’. As they were impatient to catch it, everybody went ahead on pursuing it, but, suddenly… Jennifer tripped and fell into the ‘Hole without End; fortunately, Jannett, immediately held her hand.

Jennifer, hanging from the border of that shadowy endless cliff , & Jannett pressing her hand, with all her strength, pulled and pulled until having lifted up Jennifer entirely.

Some hours later, when we finally accomplished our mission, after being trying to catch the phenomenon for some time, we all went back home, ready to start creating the cure.

At ten o’clock, on the evening, five hours later, both J’s, almost asleep, cheered with amazement with surprise in their eyes, after having achieved their objective, and having recovered their lovely pink and cute pet, again.

THE END