Growing Up At the Giese Estate: The Misadventures of Ever and Cole: So, you Wanna Catch a Butterfly?

My nephew Kuval had been trying to catch butterflies those who happen to wander to close would find themselves stuffed in his mouth as I glanced over at him. The beaming smile caught upon his face gave me pause to wonder about his taste as another butterfly hunt came to my mind. It had been fall of the year I turned 13 the leaves had began to fall from the trees. It was the perfect type of weather for being outside and my brother Cole and I were doing just that. We might have gotten bored with sitting there and gone inside if another adventure hadn't fallen into our laps in the form of a butterfly.

We hadn't been looking for trouble but it had a way of finding us. Okay, sure most people don't just go look lets see where this goes but hey most people are not us. So, when the crystal butterfly land on Cole all shimmering before darting off into a portal we of course were up and on our feet without a second thought. Not even having to speak to one another we both knew our goal. Find the strange transparent butterfly and see where it came from. 

Stepping through the portal we took our first look around. The gleaming crystalline world almost seemed made of ice. However, it was not cold at all. It was not glass because you could see to the other side but like a giant prism that made up everything that you could see. The grass was made of crystals that bend like blades and even moved in the winds yet were clear as clear could be. The flowers and plants were the same as were the animals. You could see right through them to the organs which were clear as well but they moved with crystal liquid pumping through them. 

Cole reached out touched what looked like a dog to find other than the clear nature it felt the same if only smoother than one from our own world. "Cool." He said as he looked at me. "You think if I brought this home dad would count it as a dog?" A wicked grin forming on his face largely because we both knew it wouldn't have stopped him even if he counted it. 

I winked back as I moved looking around wandering further in noting that there were others just like us following the butterflies. The shimmering butterflies seemed to be changing colors the only thing that seemed to have color in a land made of crystals even the sun. Sometimes, the others would reflect our color but they almost had an inner color that glowed from inside. The people liked us moved forward in awe almost transfixed as Cole and I did the same. Curious as to where they were going. 

They moved into the clearing the butterflies darting around them. It seemed to tease direct, entice, or guide people towards the center of the meadow. I grabbed Cole's hand. "It is like gathering sheep." I whispered as Cole looked up towards me pausing in his steps.

It felt like something was wrong and Cole trusted his sister enough to trust her instincts. I looked at him with a frown. "Do you sense it?"

He nodded. "Like mist?" He asked looking at me. 

The butterflies seemed to be fluttering above the people flapping their wings some sort of thin mist coming out as suddenly people started to scream. The mist eating away at their flesh as it turned to mush and the butterflies swooped down slurping it up till nothing but bones remained. People started to run only to be herded back to the center as I and Cole watching from the edge tried to leave to run into a wall of crystal. "Damn it." I said as I took a step back and tried to blast through the wall.

"It isn't working." Cole said eyeing it as he added his magic to my own. Nothing we tried seemed to work as the butterflies finished their meal and moved towards us. We turned around holding hands as we began to fight them.

There was too many. it seemed for every one we killed more appeared yet we kept fighting. We decided to join our power and send a huge bolt out into the field hoping to fry them all. Just when we were about to do just that the wall behind us exploded shattering bits everywhere. Our eyes turned back our father standing there looking rather pissed off as he sent a wave crashing over the butterflies smashing them into bits. Cole looked at me as I returned his gaze before we both glanced at daddy. 

Kyrell mumbled screaming at the air. "Oh hush. I didn't tell him to go after acid spitting butterflies from another realm. Yes...yes I know I let your son be in danger. I fixed it woman. I swear vexing me even in death."

My eyes darted to Cole as I said. "Is he talking to your mother?"

He nodded. "Yep. She hates it when things try to kill me." 

I guess anything is possible I thought as we headed back towards home our father arguing the whole way with the ghost. As we stepped through the portal Kyrell said. "Fine." And with those words the world on the other side was shattered into a million pieces. "Happy! Now he can't be hurt there." And with those words he stomped off. Leaving Cole and I standing there totally confused. 

It was there our brother Kieran would find us staring at the place the portal had been. "What are you guys still doing out here." His eyes moving to one of us to the other.

I looked up. "We didn't almost get eaten by acid butterflies made of glass."

Cole nodded. "And daddy didn't come and save us."

"Nope. And he didn't blow up a world either." i replied. 

We both nodded in unison as he looked at us. "Oh goddess." He mumbled and wandered away.