A little girl sat alone in a little patch of flowers, the trees surrounding her family’s little village offering her some shade from the bright and warm rays of the sun.

Red curls fell over flushed cheeks as she looked down at the butterfly on the little bud before her, one of its yellow wings bent from the wind and hanging on precariously.

She wanted to fix it so terribly, her little mind racing in an attempt to just figure out how she could help it.

Her internal search for an answer reminded her of something her mother had taught her, or rather…she had learned it by watching her mother.

She had gotten a cut playing with her big brothers, and it had burned so awfully nothing could stop her crying. Her mother had swept her up, carried her inside, and said words that she didn’t quite recognize while holding her so tightly her chest hurt.

The little one closed her eyes, freckled nose drinking with sheer effort as she reached out towards the butterfly, doing her best to say the words like her mother did.

Reparer det som er ødelagt, leg det som er skadet.

Her eyes snapped open in excitement as footfall approached her, a squeal of pure delight escaping her as she saw she had fixed its wing.

“Just what do you think you are doing, little girl?” The footfall stopped as the harsh words replaced its call.

“Father, father look! I helped the butterfly!” She answered excitedly, little fingers pointing to the insect who was testing its wings with careful flaps.

All at once, his boot came down swiftly, crushing the flower and the butterfly before it had a chance to fly once more.

She sat in shocked silence for a moment, unable to quite comprehend what he had just done.

And then the tears started, her tiny heart shattering for the poor creature, her wails reaching her father’s ears before she could stop them.

His boot connected with her side next, sending her sprawling onto her back against the dirt, spurring on even louder sobs.

“Enough of your mischief, Alys!”

She was lifted from the ground by the collar of her dress, his face shoved against hers so roughly her nose began to bleed.

“I…I wanted to help. And you…you…” her desperate explanation sent him throwing her as hard as he could back to the ground.

“You will never do such a thing again, do you understand?” He placed his heavy foot on her chest as he glared down at her, eyes so narrow she couldn’t seem to make out if they were open or not.

“But…but….” She tried to explain again, but the weight on her made it so difficult to simply breathe.

“You will not! I will not have you be like your whore mother, am I understood?” His sneer was something so familiar it brought bile rising up her throat.

“Yes.”

He stepped off of her and left her at that, allowing her to return her attention to her poor crushed friend.

She waited until he was gone before digging the butterfly a little grave in the dirt, murmuring little apologies that it couldn’t fly again.