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Something to Think About Spring 2015

School Radio © BBC 2015www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio

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The Cheeky Butterfly BrothersWritten by Kate Stonham. Read by Shaun Prendergast.

Once upon a time, there were three little butterflies called Roly Red, Wally White and Yanni Yellow. They were brothers - and they were very, very bored.They huddled by the window, looking at the sad, grey garden. ‘Non-stop rain for three days,’ yowled Yanni. ‘When will it stop?’ whined Wally. ‘Maybe when you two stop being so cheeky!’ rasped Roly. ‘Oooo!’ shot back his brothers.

That was the problem, you see. When butterfly brothers get bored, they get cheeky. Very cheeky indeed…

Yanni chewed cheeky little chunks off his brothers’ wings while they were asleep…Roly liked to do a spot of tickling with his antennae… Wally flapped his wings so fast he blew the others right across the room. ‘You’re both being so beastly, I’m never speaking to you again,’ yelled Yanni. ‘Me neither!’ announced Wally and Roly.

‘Yohoo butterfly brothers, I’m baaaack!’ cried a booming voice. It was the sun! ‘Those rascally rain clouds have blown away at last. You can come out and play again!’

The three brothers opened their colourful wings and raced out into the garden. They swooped and swirled and fluttered and flitted from flower to flower. They were flying so fast the air was a blur of white, red and yellow wings.

The flowers meanwhile shook their petals with dismay as the cheeky butterflies zoomed past. ‘Tch! I preferred it when it was raining,’ sighed Lilly. ‘Much more peaceful,’ nodded Tulip in agreement.

The butterflies hadn’t noticed it was getting dark again. ‘Better get inside!’ cried the sun as it slipped behind the clouds.

As big, shiny raindrops began to fall, the butterflies could feel their fragile wings grow wet and heavy. ‘We should go home,’ said Roly. ‘There’s just one weensy problem’, whispered Wally. ‘I’ve lost the door key!’ ‘Typical!’ sighed Yanni. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ said Roly.

School Radio © BBC 2015www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio

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Tulip was closing his petals into a tight flowercup to protect himself from the rain. ‘Can we shelter inside your flowercup please, Tulip?’ asked Roly in his nicest voice. ‘Well now,’ replied Tulip, ‘you and Yanni have wings the same colour as my red and yellow stripes, so, yes, I’ll let you in. But as for you with the white wings…’ he said, turning to Wally, ‘… absolutely not. In any case, you whizzed past my petals so fast, I’m lucky I’ve got any left!’

Roly and Yanni crawled inside Tulip’s nice, warm flowercup. ‘Serves him right for blowing us round the house,’ muttered Roly as they watched Wally shiver in the rain. ‘Couldn’t agree more,’ said Yanni.

The wetter Wally got, the sadder his little face became. ‘P-p-p pleeeeease let me in’, he whimpered. Roly and Yanni couldn’t help feeling sorry for their brother. ‘Yes, Tulip, pleeeeease,’ they pleaded. ‘Shan’t, won’t!’ replied Tulip. ‘Then open up and let us out,’ demanded Roly. ‘If you won’t shelter all three of us, we’ll go and find a flower who will.’

As Tulip opened his flowercup with a big pop…the brothers flew out and over to Lilly who was also shutting her petals firmly against the dashing rain.

‘P-p-p-please Lilly,’ shivered Wally, ‘can you protect us with your petals?’ ‘Well now, you Wally, with your white wings match my own white petals rather nicely,’ replied Lilly, ‘so yes, I will give you shelter. But your brothers? Red and yellow just don’t go – so no. Besides, I saw them taking big bites off my leaves earlier. Disgraceful!’

Wally felt tempted to take up Lilly’s offer. He was still annoyed with Yanni and Roly, but he was also grateful to them for not leaving him alone in the rain. ‘Thanks Lilly, but no thanks!’ he declared. ‘Us butterfly brothers stick together!’

By now the little butterflies’ wings were so wet and limp - they were actually starting to stick together! They could no longer fly, so down they came to land in the long, wet grass…

The bright eyes of mice and birds in search of a tasty meal glowed in the darkness around them. The dripping butterflies huddled together and shivered with fear as much as cold. ‘The beasts are coming closer!’ whimpered Wally.

They backed against a rock…

‘What was that?!’ whispered Yanni as they heard a chink of metal. ‘At least we’ve found the door key’ sighed Wally. ‘Yes, but what good is it if we can’t fly home?’ said Roly.

School Radio © BBC 2015www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio

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School Radio © BBC 2015www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio

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Suddenly, a ray of bright light struck the ground between the butterflies and the glowing eyes!

The brothers looked up at the grey sky. As more rays of light broke through the clouds, the rain began to stop. The glowing eyes disappeared into the dark hedges.

‘At last I’ve managed to push those rascally rain clouds away for good’, boomed the sun. ‘I was delighted to hear you three put aside your differences and stick up for each other. Now spread out your wings and let my warm rays dry them out.’

Soon the butterflies were back up in the air, flitting and fluttering and dancing in delight. ‘Friends forever!’ whistled Wally. ‘No more upsetting each other,’ said Roly. ‘Or the flowers,’ added Yanni. ‘Delighted to hear it!’ chorused Tulip and Lilly.

And with that, they danced home for butterfly cakes and tea – yipeee!!!