The Housefly's Song

Once upon a time but not very long ago, in a land very near around lived a playful little Capetilla. She lived happily in a house with the smart Optapus and the plain Housefly who both loved her very very much. You would have thought that the togetherness would have been enough, even though it was not extraordinarily marked by exotic excitement. On the contrary, what they had was the comfortable ordinary…and that made the Capetilla happy enough.

The Capetilla just never wanted to grow up. She bounced around playing all the games she could with the Optapus. In a game of hide and seek, she would hide in a corner and over up her face…she thought if I can’t see myself, then no one can see me! Of course the Optapus would get her out and hug her with his warm tentacles and together they would laugh…he always made the Capetilla and the Housefly feel safe and protected. They made up more games like the Bridge game and the Running around the table game and the Just dancing wild game. But the Optapus who was very smart also taught her the brainy games like chess, which the ordinary Housefly could never figure out, so to make them laugh because they looked so serious when they played this game, she would snatch the Capetilla’s white queen with a scream, rush it into the Optapus’s black army and run them all down as both the Capetilla and the Optapus laughed with glee! The Capetilla would demand the family hug and all three would come together at her call.

But the silly games would still be played and sometimes when she would not want to go to school, the Capetilla would run and hide under the big Optapus’s blanket so that the Housefly would not find her. But she did, and she would get the Capetilla ready just in time. You see, the Housefly might have been plain but she was hardworking and she had learned well from the Optapus about being responsible. She learned that you have to know what is important in life and work hard for it…so work she did, the plain Housefly who did not seem to have any colors.

As time flew, the Capetilla understood that she must work towards becoming the lovely butterfly she is destined to be, no matter the pain she felt about giving up the play. She knew that she could touch all the people around her with all the wisdom and beauty she had. So she stretched out the many hands she had and held it out to the people she loved with her big heart, so that she might show them the way to make their life better.

As she saw the Capetilla stretch out her hands, the plain Housefly reached out to hold on and she began to learn that apart from the shades of grays, she did have colors deep inside of her and slowly she began to let all the colors bloom in her ordinary world

But for the smart Optapus, his dreams were made of stuff more than the ordinary. His horizons stretched into places unknown. He did not realize that the world tickled his body just enough to make it feel good for a while. He never cared to think that that the world out there did not care for his soul and so the Optapus went deep into the world’s cold ocean of life far, far away. For him, the search was long and lonely but he was strong and smart. As he left, the wise little Capetilla wondered if the Optapus could hear the words of the Housefly as she sang:

“Oh won't you stay, stay awhile
With your own ones.
Don't ever stray,
Stray so far from your own ones.
For the world is so cold.
Don't care nothin' for your soul
You share with your own ones.

Don't rush away, rush away
From your own ones.
Just one more day, one more day
With your own ones.”*


*Irish Heartbeat by Van Morrison