“In Time,

Clementine”

By Persis A. Moodley
 Chapter 1: “The Crystal”

Something bright was shining on her face, but

it wasn’t the sun. Rather, it was something
sparkly, something colourful, something...
CRYSTAL!!! Clementine sprang up from her
bed and dashed to the window, where a
delicate chain with a tear-drop crystal pendant
dangled from the window latch.

It was glowing in the morning sun, with all the

colours of a perfect rainbow. In awe-filled
wonder, she held up the pendant to let the sun
rays reflect off it, and suddenly the pale walls
of her bedroom was swathed with dancing
diamonds of pink, orange and turquoise.

It was the best gift she had ever gotten for her
birthday!!

Clementine washed her face and hands, put on

her new birthday dress and tied the crystal

2
chain around her neck. She felt like a princess-
ballerina, and she twirled on the tips of her
toes to the kitchen where the sweet smell of
honey pancakes enticed her tummy.

Mum was singing as usual, and she stopped

when Clementine came into the room. “Happy
birthday my little Angel! I see you found your
birthday present.” Mum placed a delicate kiss
on Clementine’s head.

“Oh Mum, it’s so pretty! Thank you, thank you,

thank you!!” Clementine gave Mum a tight
hug. “And you’re making my favourite! Wow!
You’re the best mum.”

“It is my pleasure dear, I love to make your day

special,” said Mum.

Clementine sat down at the table to eat her

pancake and watched as Mum fluttered
around the kitchen with her pretty blue wings.

3
How she wished she could get her butterfly
wings!

Suddenly, Clementine felt unhappy and

pushed her plate away.

Mum asked, “Is everything alright, dear? Don’t

you want your pancake?”

“I do...” said Clementine slowly, “But I was

wondering... Mum, when am I going to get my
butterfly wings?”

“In time, Clementine,” Mum said. “There is a

time for everything, and when it is time for
your wings to grow, it will.”

“Oh,” Clementine sighed, “But I want to be

pretty just like you!”

“And you are already my dear,” said Mum.

“With or without wings, you are always
pretty!” Mum kissed Clementine on her

4
forehead. “Now finish up your breakfast so you
can go out to play.”

5
 Chapter 2: On A Stroll

Clementine strolled out into the front yard,

where her older sister Ellie was planting seeds
for a flower garden. Ellie already had her pretty
blue wings, and they were glittering in the
morning sun.

She flew over to Clementine and gave her a big

hug.

“Happy birthday, Clementine! You look

beautiful, like a princess-ballerina! And the
crystal matches just perfectly with your pretty
eyes!”

“Thank you Ellie,” smiled Clementine. She

watched Ellie fill seeds into a hole in the
ground and then asked, “Ellie, when will I get
my butterfly wings?”

6
“In time, Clementine,” Ellie said. “You will go
to sleep one day, and when you wake up, it’ll
be there, just like that!” Ellie snapped her
fingers as she said that.

Clementine wondered when that wonderful

day would come. She took a leisurely walk
along the lush pathway and came to stop at Mr
Wilkins’ house.

As usual, he was sitting on the porch reading

the morning newspaper and sipping on a big
mug of hot tea.

“Good morning Mr Wilkins. It’s my birthday

today,” called Clementine.

“Well, good morning to you, Clementine. And

a very happy birthday too!” said Mr Wilkins.
“You look pretty in your new dress.”

“Thank you Mr Wilkins, but I don’t have

butterfly wings yet,” said Clementine sadly.

7
“Oh, you will get them my dear... in time,
Clementine,” said Mr Wilkins. “Just wait a
little longer.”

8
 Chapter 3: Almost Caught!

“Wait a little longer...” Clementine didn’t like

waiting but Mum always said it was good
manners to wait your turn. Everything seemed
to always take so long though... Like Dad
getting back from gathering food for the
winter; like her wings growing.

At least she had finally gotten the crystal

pendant she had been waiting for, for so long,
which was now sparkling in the bright
morning sun.

Suddenly, she heard a loud screech and saw a

black shadow in front of her, sending chilling
fear throughout her little body. Oh no!

It was that horrid black eagle again: the

dreadful and greedy caterpillar-eater! No-one
could ever escape him or out-run him...

9
Clementine was terrified when she realised he
was determined to make her his next meal!

How had he seen her? She was so careful to

stay under the shadow of the bigger leaves and
along the lush greenway that camouflaged her
pretty green birthday dress... from way up
there, it would have been impossible for him to
have seen her.

As she turned to look up at the black eagle, a

sparkle from the crystal pendant caught the
corner of her eye. And he had seen it too...
that’s how he had picked her out through the
bushes and that’s how he was going to catch
her.

Clementine felt fearfully hopeless and so

disappointed that the one thing she wanted so
dearly had gotten her into such a dangerous
situation. “Oh Daddy!! Where are you now???”

10
Clementine held on tightly to the crystal to
hide it from the sun’s bright rays and ran as
fast as she could. She had to hide from the
black eagle.

She could hear the rapid flapping of his strong

wings and his loud shriek was more like an evil
laugh. But then, everything just went quiet.
Too quiet...

Oh no! Ellie said that when eagles keep quiet,

it means they are flying low and sneakily to
catch you. This was not good, not good at all!

Clementine stopped running and listened

intently for the eagle, though the pounding of
her frightened heart rang loud in her ears. And
then she saw the shadow pass over her, big
and dark!

She spun around and saw the black eagle

flying straight at her with his sharp claws
wide open to grab her.

11
With barely seconds to think, Clementine
lunged into the nearest bush of undergrowth,
the tip of his claw ripping the skirt of her new
birthday dress.

As she literally rose in the air, she heard a loud

thud and a scream of frustration and pain... the
eagle had flown straight into the tree!

Clementine didn’t dare lie in the undergrowth

any longer, and she certainly wasn’t going to
be a brave hero to look around again for the
black eagle. Instead, she sprung up and held up
her torn dress so that she could run as fast and
quietly as she could.

She stayed under the darkest and bushiest

leaves so that the sun’s rays wouldn’t catch her
crystal pendant again.

She ran and ran and ran; thorny stems and

sharp stones scraping at her delicate legs and
body all along. Her tummy ached and her heart

12
pounded so hard... eventually her little legs
couldn’t run any more.

Clementine collapsed into a spongy bed of

mushrooms and after calming her frantic
breathing, she started crying hysterically.

13
 Chapter 4: LOST!

Poor Clementine! This was not how she

wanted her birthday to be... it was the total
opposite and ghastly horrible! Her butterfly
wings hadn’t grown, the hideous black eagle
tried to catch her and now she was lost in this
scary and dark forest.

There were new, strange noises all around her

and Clementine was shivering and hungry. She
held on tightly to her crystal and thought of
her sweet and beautiful Mum.

Oh, how she wished to be back home in her

warm bed, savouring the aroma of the
delicious dinner Mum would have been
preparing, especially for her birthday!

Clementine realised that this day had officially

made her a year older, so it meant that she was
somewhat “grown-up”. This was now the

14
defining moment that would prove just how
“grown-up” she could be, and she sat up on a
mushroom to think of a plan to get home.

Firstly though, she had to quieten the

grumbling of her empty tummy and find a
warm and safe place to spend the night.
Wiping away the tears, she crept out from
under the mushrooms and sought the closest
leaves.

Undergrowth foliage was generally sweeter

than most leaves but these ones here in the
forest were the best she ever tasted!
Clementine just ate and ate – she was
famished – and lazed back on the soft
mushroom top, for a moment forgetting where
she was.

A chilling breeze signifying the pending

evening twitched her into awareness of her
surroundings and she cautiously explored the

15
tree above for the most comfortable yet safest
place to call her bed for the night.

Finally, she settled on a smooth branch that

was wide enough for her to lie on and
inconspicuous from any prey above. It was
extremely cold even higher up here in the tree
amongst the mature density of leaves, so
Clementine spun a thick blanket of silk
around her and very soon she was sound
asleep, exhausted from the eventful day.

16
 Chapter 5: Could it be...?

Something bright was shining on her face, but

it wasn’t the sun. Rather, it was something
sparkly, something colourful, something... that
was not a tear-drop crystal. Rather, it was a
water droplet on the tip of the leaf above her.

As her mind registered that she was alone in

this vast forest and not in her bed like the
morning before, Clementine sadly pushed
away the silk blanket. She had slept
throughout the entire night but her body felt
heavy and very different, and she struggled to
stand up onto her four legs.

SIX LEGS! Oh no, no, no, no, NO! Whatever

had happened to her? Clementine was frantic
and the weight on her back didn’t alleviate the
panic attack she was about to have.

17
Her eyes darted around and above for evidence
of a caterpillar-eating creature and every angle
sent chills down her spine. She was turning
around and around and around but there was
no sign or trail left by the hideous enemy.

Then she looked down... and her feet were

way, way above the branch!!

Clementine screamed... and fell like a lightning

bolt all the way to the bottom of the tree, the
mushrooms below valiantly breaking her fall
once again.

This was all too much for poor little

Clementine! She felt hot tears welling up in her
eyes and she rolled over to soak her tears of
sadness once again into the spongy mushroom.

Only this mushroom was a beautiful pattern of

blue and black, with a feathery surface that
glistened in the morning rays. It was very
much like Mum’s... wings...

18
Clementine studied the pretty blue wing and
slowly traced the lines of the patterns and
colours before her. Suddenly her shoulders felt
all tingly.

Was she dreaming?

She gently touched the wing again, and again,

her shoulders tingled. She slowly stood up and
gently moved her shoulder muscles: the wings
opened to their full size on either side of her.
Then she moved the muscles down her back,
and the wings flapped!!

Oh, it was magnificent! Sparkling blues and

glistening turquoises; shiny black detail and
subtle pinks in-between. Clementine had
finally grown her own butterfly wings!!

She was so excited!! She spread her wings open

and reached her hands to her back, so that she
could feel the soft skin of the wings. It felt just
like Mum’s.

19
Slowly, she flapped her wings to see them
move – they were so pretty!! And then faster
and faster until Clementine felt herself being
lifted off the mushroom.

How wonderful it was to fly! Clementine had

finally turned into a beautiful blue butterfly –
what a precious birthday gift! She flew around
the flowers and leaves, up and down, around
and under branches, bobbing in and out of the
sunlight. She was so happy, so relieved. Now
she could fly back home, back to Mum, Dad
and Ellie.

She stopped to have a drink of water and

admired her reflection in the gentle ripples of
the little pond. Her wings were very pretty,
just like Mum! How she missed Mum’s honey
pancakes! She was so hungry!

She quickly ate and gathered a few more leaves

for her first journey as a butterfly. Then she

20
flew as high as she could over the tree tops and
looked around.

Far away, she could see red roofs and white

smoke coming from the chimneys. It was her
hometown and there was her house!!

21
 Chapter 6: Going Home

Clementine was careful not to fly too high just

in case the black eagle came back. She flew
steadily – not too fast, not too slow.

She stopped for a little while to rest her wings

and have a little snack. Soon she was out of the
forest and flying towards the main street in her
hometown.

She saw Mr Wilkins reading his morning

newspaper on the porch, like he always does.

“Mr Wilkins!! Look!! I have my butterfly

wings!!”

“Clementine? Is that you? Wow, you are so

pretty!!” said Mr Wilkins. “Congratulations!”

Clementine flew as fast as she could to her

house and slowed down as she came close to

22
the kitchen window. She could see Mum
sitting at the table with her head in her hands.
This morning Mum wasn’t singing; Mum was
crying... inconsolable.

Ellie stood beside Mum and held her

shoulders. She was saying, “Mum, please don’t
cry. We’ll find Clementine soon. She’s brave,
she’ll be alright.”

Clementine burst through the door. “Mum!

Ellie!”

She collapsed onto Mum’s arms and her body

shook with her loud sobs. “I was so scared
Mum. The black eagle chased me into the
forest!”

“My little Angel! You’re alright!”

“And you have your butterfly wings!” Ellie was

so excited! “Clementine, they’re so pretty!”

23
“Clementine, you’re home!” Clementine just
knew who that was: Dad!!

“Daddy!” she screamed with delight and raced

into his arms. Oh, how she had missed him so
much!

Mum, Dad, Ellie and Clementine all started

laughing and dancing at Clementine’s home-
coming and her new wings. Mum put her pan
on the stove and started making honey
pancakes.

Ellie asked Clementine many questions about

her night in the forest. Dad cuddled her in his
strong arms and kissed her forehead over and
over again.

Better than her crystal chain, better than her

wings, to be home with her family was the
best gift ever. Clementine put her head on
Dad’s shoulders and was happier than she had
ever been.

24
This was the time she had waited for, and it
was well worth it! All, in time...

25