Once there was a little butterfly that was flying in the corners of the place where she lived. She was weak and delicate, and she was the most beautiful among the other butterflies and shining like the sun. This little butterfly was called “Rosita.” She used to play in the beautiful place where she lived, where beautiful flowers had formed with many colors.
Despite this beauty that surrounded her, Rosita didn’t feel happiness because she desired to move to the Blue Mountains, which were very far from her. One day, after much thinking about this matter, she decided to travel to these mountains. While she was flying from flower to flower, she met a small bird that made her smile. She said to him: “Good morning, master bird.” He answered: “Good morning.” Then she asked him: “What happened to your left eye?”
The bird answered: “A small branch entered my eye, and I can’t see well. Can you take it out?” Rosita said: “With ease, I can do that.” She approached the bird and extracted this branch from his eye. He said to her: “Thank you very much. Now I can see well, but where are you going?” The butterfly answered: “I am going to the Blue Mountains.” The bird said: “Don’t you see, oh little butterfly, that these mountains are very far from you, and you are still small and cannot reach them.”
Rosita said: “I can reach there. They are very beautiful mountains, and I wish to live there.” The bird said: “Very well, no matter. I was very lucky to meet you.” Then he started accompanying her, feeling sadness because of Rosita’s courage, who continued her way until she met a large white rabbit with long ears. She said to him: “Welcome, master rabbit.” He answered: “Welcome, oh little butterfly.”
Rosita asked the rabbit: “What is bothering you in the left leg?” He answered: “I don’t know because I can’t see it. Can you look at it?” She answered him: “Very well, it looks like a small thorn. Do you want me to extract it far from you?” The rabbit answered: “With ease, yes, out of your favor. It’s very painful, and I can’t extract it.” The butterfly began to extract the thorn. The rabbit said: “Ah… what a relief. But where are you going?” She answered him: “I am on my way to the Blue Mountains.”
The rabbit said: “You cannot reach there. They are very far and very high. But I wish you good luck.” Rosita proceeded, feeling that the bird and the rabbit were exaggerating in their speech. After she had moved away and reached the mountains, she noticed she was becoming more tired from flying, but her desire to reach the summit made her continue her flight.
Before Rosita reached the ground, she felt a force pushing her gently again. The bird she had extracted from her painful branch came to rescue her. He had done this helpless bird everything he could to protect her. But because he wasn’t strong enough, he wasn’t able to bear more during her flight from over the mountains, until her wings began to fall. But this time, she had good luck that the rabbit had come as well, who caught them both on his soft white back.
The rabbit said: “Let us go to our home.” Rosita said: “I don’t want to live in the Blue Mountains now. I want to live with both of you forever.” Thus the three friends returned to their homes, feeling happiness. Rosita realized that she was more happy in this way because she realized she could go farther than that by much with the presence of friends.
Translated from the Spanish language under the title: la mariposita Rosita