The rain tapped rhythmically against the window. She sat in the window seat, with one leg propped up. She had let her hand holding the book drop to the cushion beside her, her finger acting as a bookmark, and was now staring out at the watery blur of the yard. She contemplated letting herself drift off to sleep -Hector wouldn't be calling until much later, and she had nothing she needed to do this afternoon. And she was so wonderfully drowsy. That's when she saw it, on the toe of her sneaker; a large caterpillar, emerald green with black and brilliant yellow flecks along the length of its body. It was just sitting there. She smiled when she thought of the scream her mother would emit if she saw this beast, not just in her immaculate home but resting on her daughter's left plimsoll!
It didn't rest there long, though. The little creature started inching its way up her shoe, over the tongue and onto her ankle. She smiled at the way it tickled as it humped its way along, scrunching itself up then hurling its body forward to move, centimeter by centimeter, up her leg. She sat perfectly still, not wanting to disturb it. When it reached the peak of her knee she stretched her fingers toward it. It threw its head wildly around and she drew her hand away before she could touch it. It had a large dark splotch on either side of its front end which looked like eyes, and it seemed like it was looking at her, though she knew it wasn't, that they weren't eyes at all.
The caterpillar started moving down her thigh, faster this time because of the incline. It seemed eager to get to its destination, which was... where, exactly? She was wearing shorts, and she wondered if she should stop the creature before it reached them, or...
When it was halfway down her thigh, she reached for it again, this time stroking its side. It stopped and did that flailing around thing again but she kept petting it, feeling its soft skin. She gave it a very gentle squeeze. It contracted itself as tightly as it could and just sat there until she released it, then continued on its journey. She slowly lowered her raised knee to give it a level surface to journey across, and in the process the leg of her shorts, previously pulled tightly against her skin, became loosened, and provided a sort of cave-like opening, which the caterpillar was steadily approaching.
When it reached the leg of her shorts, the caterpillar again paused and looked around. "Go on," she whispered to it. "It's okay." She knew it couldn't really hear her but she bent as close as she could without moving her leg too much and blew gently. Whether in response to her urging or to her breath she couldn't know, but the caterpillar started crawling forward again, disappearing into the cloth archway. Just then the phone rang in the other room. She let it ring as the rain hammered the glass harder and harder and she finally allowed herself to close her eyes.
