Pearl, Our Butterfly

English
EDITION
Pearl,
Our Butterfly
Tuula Pere
Catty Flores
W
ickWick

Pearl, Our Butterfly

Pearl, Our Butterfly
Story by Tuula Pere
Illustrations by Catty Flores
Layout by Peter Stone
English translation by Mirka Pohjanrinne
Edited in English by Susan Korman
ISBN 978-952-357-070-2 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-952-357-069-6 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-952-325-924-9 (ePub)
Second edition
Copyright © 2019 Wickwick Ltd
Published 2019 by Wickwick Ltd
Helsinki, Finland
Originally published in Finland by Wickwick Ltd in 2019
Finnish “Helmi, perhosemme”, ISBN 978-952-325-423-7 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-952-325-923-2 (ePub)
English “Pearl, Our Butterfly”, ISBN 978-952-325-424-4 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-952-325-924-9 (ePub)
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any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
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English EDITION
Pearl, Our Butterfly
Tuula Pere • Catty Flores
W
ickWick
Children’s Books fromthe Heart
1

Jacob was an eager little schoolboy. His days
were filled with all sorts of hustle and bustle.
The schoolyard was a noisy beehive of activity, with
children scampering about here and there. Jacob loved
it. At times, he shouted so loudly at recess, the teacher
came up to him .
“Do you have something special on your mind? Is that
why you’re shouting so loud? I’m sure even the little
birds in the trees are a bit scared,” the teacher said.
“I have to make noise here. At home, my little sister
Pearl is so sick that she can’t stand any loud noises,”
Jacob explained.
“Then it’s good that we have our big
schoolyard,” the teacher said, smiling
at Jacob. “We have plenty of space
for a lot of noise.”
2

3

4

Even before Pearl was born, the family knew she
was not going to be quite like other children. Pearl
needed help with everything. To Jacob, the saddest
thing of all was to see how sick his sister felt sometimes.
At such times, the big brother would put his little chair
next to Pearl’s crib and stroke her from between the
crib’s bars.
“It’s all right. It’s just me, Jacob. Listen, I learned a new
song at school.”
When her brother started singing, Pearl’s moaning
quieted. She seemed to focus on listening, even though
every now and then, she turned her head restlessly
from side to side. Her big eyes looked somewhere far
away.
5

In the spring, Jacob’s class learned all about the life of butterflies. On
a large table, the teacher placed beautiful pictures of butterflies.
Everyone got to choose one for art class. All the other children had
already made their picks and returned to their seats. Now they were
planning what kind of a butterfly they would make out of modeling
clay and silk paper. But Jacob stood frozen, unable to decide.
“What kind of a butterfly are you looking for?” The teacher had come to
stand next to Jacob.
“One that has big and beautiful eyes, just like my sister Pearl.”
“Butterflies have compound eyes, which are quite dif ferent from ours.
With them, they can see a special kind of light that is not visible to
people,” the teacher explained.
“A bit like Pearl. Except that Pearl’s eyes are more beautiful,” Jacob said
quietly.
6

7

Jacob spent a lot of time at Grandma’s, as Mom and
Dad were of ten at doctor appointments with his
little sister.
“Why must they take Pearl to the hospital all the time?
Why can’t the doctors come to our house?” Jacob kept
asking.
8

“They are specialists, doctors who work only at the
hospital. Pearl goes to see them every once in a while,
so that she can gain strength to stay at home again,”
Grandma explained.
“I don’t think those doctors are any good if they can’t
cure Pearl!” Jacob felt upset.
“There are some illnesses that can’t be cured, and some
defects that can’t be fixed. That’s just the way life is.”
Grandma sighed and stroked Jacob’s hair.
9

Summer was drawing nearer. Jacob’s friends were
excitedly talking about their holiday plans. Some were
heading to their summer cottages, while others were going
away on a trip. “What is our family going to do this summer?”
Jacob asked his parents.
“We’ll see. It’s a bit hard to make any plans now that Pearl is
so sick,” Mom replied.
“But we’ll come up with something. There are plenty of nice
things to do here in our town,” Dad said, trying to reassure
him. “And you and Grandma can go away somewhere
together if you like.”
“I don’t want to go away without you. I want to be
near Pearl too,” Jacob said.
10

11

12

Pearl had to go to the hospital more of ten. Fear
crept into Jacob’s mind. What if Pearl doesn’t have
the strength to come back home anymore? he thought.
Actually, he wasn’t sure if his sister was strong enough
to even breathe much longer. It was such a scary
thought that he tried to forget about it.
Jacob didn’t want to talk about his fear to Mom and
Dad. They were already so worried about Pearl. Luckily,
it was dif ferent at Grandma’s, where there was no
need to fuss or hurry.
“Grandma, what is hospice care?” Jacob asked.
“Oh, my dear boy. How should I explain it to you . . .? I
guess you’ve heard your dad and mom talk about your
sister’s treatment? Why don’t you come over here and
sit next to me?”
Jacob sat on the sofa in Grandma’s arms.
13

14

Grandma was good at explaining dif ficult things.
However, hospice care was probably the hardest
thing anyone had ever explained to Jacob.
“When someone is very sick and doesn’t have much
time lef t, it’s important to make sure the patient feels
as comfortable as possible. That’s what they do at the
hospice,” Grandma explained. “It’s a home for very sick
patients.”
“But Pearl has a home with us!” Jacob insisted. “I can
make her comfortable too, as much as she needs!”
“I’m sure you can. And there’s no one who can do it
better than you. We’ve all seen it— Pearl always calms
down when you are near and sing to her,” Grandma
said. “But there are other things that Pearl needs now
to make her as comfortable as possible. At home, we
don’t have such medicine and treatment.”
“Can I go and sing to her at the hospice?” Jacob had
tears in his eyes.
“Of course! Everyone will love to hear your songs there,”
Grandma said, reassuring him.
15

It was a strange spring, a spring of joy and
sorrow.
At school, Jacob was having the greatest time. His
class arranged a butterfly exhibition. The butterflies
everyone had made were placed on a window seat, and
the windowpanes were decorated with paper flowers.
Jacob had made a peacock butterfly, which had big
colorful spots on its wings. They looked like eyes.
“You can’t see with those eyes, but they are so pretty!”
Jacob told his friends all about the markings on the
wing. “The teacher has promised that I can take my
butterfly to my sister Pearl at the hospice. I can’t wait
to show it to her!”
Af ter the winter, nature awakened to new life, but
Jacob’s family was getting ready to say good-bye to
little Pearl. Mom or Dad went to the hospice every day
to be by her side.
On some days, Jacob went
along to visit Pearl with his
parents and Grandma.
16

17

18

The big brother looked at his feverish little sister
lying in the hospital bed, covered in blankets.
“We should take of f all the blankets so that it’s easier
for Pearl to take wing,” Jacob said.
“What do you mean?” Dad said, startled. “Pearl doesn’t
know how to fly.”
“I have a feeling that she will soon. When she’s covered
in blankets like that, she looks just like a caterpillar in
its chrysalis,” Jacob explained. “Caterpillars stay in the
chrysalis till they are ready.”
“I think I know what you mean,” Grandma said. “In her
own way, Pearl is making herself ready. Soon it will be
time for her to fly away from her chrysalis.”
“When she takes wing, she’s going to feel so much
better!” Jacob burst out. He could no longer hold back
his tears.
19

Soon the saddest day of the spring came. Jacob and
the rest of the family were standing beside Pearl’s
bed. Her fever went up, and her breathing grew weaker
and weaker.
“Can’t anyone help Pearl anymore?” Jacob asked,
alarmed.
“We are all near your sister. She is not alone. I’m sure
that makes her feel good,” Grandma said quietly.
“Grandma, why is life so short for some people?” Jacob
asked.
“Nobody knows, that’s just the way it is. Every life is
dif ferent.”
“I’m so happy you’ve had such a long life, Grandma!
Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here next to me now.”
20

21

22

Jacob walked to the window. He looked out into
the sunshine and thought about all the butterflies
flying in nature in the summer. Perhaps Pearl would
be flying with them, enjoying summer in a new way.
Silence fell on the room. Pearl had stopped breathing.
Mom pressed her head on the pillow next to her
daughter, and Dad was sitting beside her. Jacob felt
strange when nobody said anything.
“Has Pearl taken wing now?” Jacob whispered to
Grandma.
“Yes, she has. It was her time to go.”
“I’ll open the window. I’d like to have some summer
wind in this room. I’m sure Pearl would love it too,”
Jacob said.
Jacob opened the window, and then the wind threw
it open wider. In the warm breeze, Jacob’s butterfly
waved its silk paper wings.
“Look, the butterfly is flying!” Jacob said, delighted.
23

It was hard to say the last good-bye to Pearl. Little by
little, her belongings were taken out of the nursery.
But the photographs on the tables and shelves
reminded Jacob of the time they had together.
That summer, af ter his sister’s death, Jacob spent a lot
of time with Grandma wandering in nature. Together
they watched butterflies and remembered Pearl.
“We will never forget Pearl, will we? And it won’t be like
she never even existed, will it? I don’t want that!” Jacob
said.
“Love will never be forgotten. It will live on in your
heart,” Grandma replied.
24

Jacob kept the butterfly he had made as his treasure
for many more years. In due time, it broke and had
to be thrown away. Yet Jacob carried the memory of
Pearl in his heart for the rest of his life.
25

Jacob’s second year at school is coming to an end. In
class, they learn about the short life of butterflies.
Jacob wants to make a butterfly, whose wing markings
resemble the big eyes of his severely disabled sister
Pearl.
The big brother knows that he must soon say goodbye
to his sister, who is spending more and more time
in the hospital.
With his grandma, Jacob explores his most dif ficult
thoughts, when his parents are too tired to talk. Their
joint walks in nature are a consolation, even af ter
Pearl’s life has ended.
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