In which we continue with the winter stories: this has butterflies!

 The Butterfly Robe (China)

A court official was exhausted with court life. People were cruel, scheming, and treacherous. He needed to get away.

Still dressed in his radiant court robe, he walked. Away from the court, away from the city, up into the hills where flowers bloomed all around.

He sat among the flowers, so still, so quiet.  To his surprise, a bee flew from a flower and landed on his robe.  “Do you think this is a flower, my friend?” he laughed.  “Well here—you may have a bit of it.”

He drew his sword and cut a small piece of the silk fabric and tossed it away.  “Here is a special flower for you!”

The silk was so pretty there on the bright green grass, that he laughed for joy.  “Here is another piece, and another, and another!”

He tossed scraps of bright cloth high into the air above his head and watched as they fluttered down and landed among the open flowers.

Then, to his amazement, each bit of cloth gave a shiver and rose up again into the sky.

“What is this?” He cut more scraps of cloth from his robe, and flung them up to join the others.  They too floated above the meadow on beautiful silken wings.

More and more pieces he flung into the air, and soon the field was filled with beautiful creatures.

The prime minister was clothed only in rags, but the field was alive with butterflies. 

The wonder of it would sustain him the rest of his life.