Her Butterfly Effect

Elaine M. Hernandez

Description

This tale of hope, inspiration, and transformation tells the story of a group of Mexican farm animals who rebuild their homes and farm while saving a flock of migrating monarch butterflies.

Sometimes it takes an unexpected crisis to bring out the best in us and help us discover our own leadership ability.

One evening, while Beatrice Butterfly is navigating a flock of monarch butterflies migrating south for their winter hibernation, a storm erupts in the central mountain range of Mexico and the butterfly is blown from the sky. The next morning, she is alone and has no idea where she is, and her drenched wings keep her from flying away. She had landed in the garden of a rundown farm; some animals live there, but they are bored and weary, without much hope for their future. Beatrice asks them for help in providing food and shelter for the pending flock. Can the farm animals cooperate to help the monarchs and bring their farm back to life in the process?

This tale of hope, inspiration, and transformation tells the story of a group of Mexican farm animals who rebuild their homes and farm while saving a flock of migrating monarch butterflies.

Sujets

• Fiction Jeunesse
• Juvenilee Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 30 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665741842
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2023 Elaine M. Hernandez.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.



Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4185-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-4183-5 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-4184-2 (e)




Archway Publishing rev. date: 05/25/2023
1
I remember the day my grandmother gave me the gift. Abuela, as she preferred to be called, had invited me to her home, where she set out her fine porcelain cups and saucers and poured hot tea from an old English teapot painted with delicate flowers. As we sipped our tea, Abuela began recalling stories from her life on a dairy farm and vineyard in rural Mexico during the 1970s. She referred to her adventures as her butterfly effect because of the changes that she influenced on the farm when she lived there as a young bride. She paused, adjusting her lime-green shawl, and privately reliving those special moments in her mind. She wiped her eyes with her embroidered handkerchief, which she tucked back under her watchstrap, and then she invited me to her attic, where she kept her memories and secrets.
From an embroidered velvet bag, Abuela removed a brass key. Without saying a word, she slid the key into the lock of an old cedar trunk. With reverent care, she raised the wooden lid, releasing a sweet fragrance of lavender into the air. A soft light from the dormer window fell gently across her wedding dress. Carefully Abuela removed the vintage gown, exposing uncounted treasures. She glanced approvingly over the contents of her trunk: a small leather-bound guidebook, a wooden rooster and hen, and a model of an ox cart made from wooden puzzle pieces. Then her eyes came to rest upon a tin box. As if it were a valuable artefact, Abuela retrieved the box and carefully placed it in my hands.
“I want you to have this,” she said shyly. “It is my gift to you and to your children.”
Then, just as devotedly, Abuela put back her cherished wedding gown, along with the memories, and lowered the cedar lid, locking it again and placing the key back into its velvet shroud. I sat in the light of the dormer window, hesitating to open the box. I knew that whatever was inside was cherished by my grandmother, yet I wondered why she had secretly locked it away for so many years. How could such a simple box cause such reluctance?
The box was made from polished tin and decorated with colorful wildflowers around its four sides. On the lid reigned an embossed portrait of a beautiful monarch butterfly. Cautiously I lifted the lid and peered inside. There, wrapped in an orange satin ribbon, was a hand-written manuscript.
Carefully I slid the ribbon off the fine parchment. The cover of the manuscript was painted flaming orange with curving lines of black ink that resembled a pathway on a treasure map. The elaborately drawn letters of the title were intertwined like grapevines. Discretely woven into the lower corner was the author’s name, my grandmother! In silent admiration, I smiled at Abuela. Her eyes sought my approval as she joined me in the window seat to share her story. Together, we began to read When the Evergreens Blossomed Orange .