The Tasteful Moth

We found a little moth in the apartment.

He was pitiful.

His wings looked as if he had turned on them in his hunger.

We thought of flushing him down the toilet.

But the tattered moth was the most unique we had ever seen. We could not imagine killing such beauty

We agreed to let the moth stay until he gained the strength to fly out into the world.

It started with a hole in my favorite sock.

It only became

Worse

From there. He began eating my sweaters.

It began to gain weight...

and became more confident.

His new-found power must have made him feel entitled to munching my oven mitt...

Causing me to burn my hand when I tried to pull out the hot cookie tray!

The moth continued to eat and gain strength. I hoped he would be healthy enough to leave soon.

When the moth decided to eat the fur off of Ducky...

He had gone too far.

The moth lurked, waiting to make his next attack.

Next he moved on to the foof.

He showed no mercy.

No matter how much he ate, his hunger remained insatiable.

We had a beautiful carpet to cushion our feet.

But he maimed it, robbing our toes of its luxurious pile.

How I grew to fear the moth.

What would he eat next?

I didn't have to wait long to find out. After taking a bath to warm my chilly toes, I discovered he had devoured my towels. I stood dripping, swearing that I would give the moth the boot as soon as I was done air-drying.

But when I found the moth and braced myself for the necessary confrontation, I was once again petitioned by his beauty. How could I endanger this unique contribution to our world?

When the moth set his sights on my comforter...

I knew it was time to act. My bed is my favorite place, and no moth, no matter how beautiful, was going to disrupt my bed time.

THe moth was no longer an

exquisite being

but a dangerous menace.

I told the moth

"You

Must

Leave!"

Fortunately, he agreed.

But he was not the same forlorn moth as when I first discovered him.

Unfortunately, he no longer fit through the door.

we tried to push

But our efforts were fruitless.

I noticed a flower peaking out of the laboring moth's open mouth. A flower oddly similar to those that once decorated my most beloved comforter...

So I took hold of the corners of his quivering mouth.

I pulled...

And pulled...

Behold!

sweater remnants

My comforter

Oven Mitt

Carpet pile

Ducky's Fur

Sock hole

Towels

We pulled our items out of his belly

And restored our apartment to its usual order.

He was once again elegant, and now healthier than ever and ready to take flight.

Off he fluttered, ready to continue his never-ending search for food.

THE TASTEFUL M TH

He tottered.

His girth had become impressive.