Page 69 of Butterfly

Teddy cried. It was a single tear, but he’d been moved. He dragged his gaze from the butterfly and onto Ollie, where his smile seemed to collapse on itself, and he reached with his free hand for Ollie’s cheek.

Teddy’s thumb swiped through a tear, startling Ollie. He hadn’t realised his eyes were stinging until Teddy dried his face.

“I’m okay.”

He didn’t speak in any more than a whisper, not wanting to disturb the butterflies or to break the moment. They were beautiful, but they weren’t the reason Ollie cried.

He cried for Teddy.

It wasn’t fair that he wouldn’t have more than this, or maybe it was fair. Ollie didn’t know anymore. Teddy had told him he’d always loved nature, wildlife. He’d moved around with his family a lot before they’d made a more permanent home on a field beside the hospital.

He loved to explore all the places he’d been, from marshlands, to meadows, to woodlands, to the seaside. He found wonder in the outdoors. He didn’t care about dirt, or creepy crawlies, or getting cold, or even getting lost; he was an explorer at heart.

One that was going to remain in a cage for the rest of his life.

The final butterfly took flight, crashing into their desk, then the wall. It settled on top of their closet while it flashed its wings before taking off again and flapping its way directly at Ollie.

He stiffened as it collided with him, fumbling its way through his hair as it tried to right itself. When it did, it crawled down Ollie’s forehead before dropping onto the tip of his nose. It stayed there, flashing its wings like a beacon, drawing Teddy close.

Teddy squeezed Ollie’s hand, gazing at him with all the happiness he’d expressed over the butterflies. His smile was awed and precious, and he lifted Ollie’s hand to his lips to kiss him softly.

Ollie didn’t bat the butterfly away. The book had said they needed time to dry out their wings before they could flutter with any accuracy. He was more than happy to let this one rest on the end of his nose, especially when it made Teddy look at him like that.

But Teddy’s smile began to dim. His eyes darted, searching Ollie’s face, and as each second passed, they became droopier, sadder. Ollie went cross-eyed, looking at the end of his nose, wondering if there was something wrong with the butterfly.

Then it took off, brushing air at Ollie’s eyes. He blinked, and when he reopened them, Teddy’s expression flipped back to joy at seeing the last butterfly join its brothers and sisters.

They stayed on the bed, hand in hand. It was early morning, 6:20 to be exact.

Unlock didn’t happen until eight, but they had already agreed they had to release the butterflies first. Teddy had been anxious over the thought of them hatching during association, and he always left their door shut and hurried back to it after he’d scoffed down some food.

His expectant father routine had amused Ollie but confused the rest of the wing. Only Einstein knew about the butterflies. Everyone else assumed Teddy was coming down with something and had to rush back to his cell for unfortunate toilet trips.

Even Captain had expressed concern about being without his gym companion for almost a week.

Teddy sighed long and slow. It said he knew what he had to do but wasn’t happy about it in the slightest. They’d talked about it before. It wasn’t fair or practical to keep the butterflies for any length of time. Teddy had said himself they needed to be outside, not locked up.

They needed to be free.

Once they opened the window, they’d be gone. There was nothing to keep them near the prison, no gardens in any of the prison yards.

Ollie squeezed his hand. “We’ll get Sebastian to send us more next year.”

He expected Teddy to nod or smile, but he remained stone-faced.

Teddy’s hand slipped free of Ollie’s as he got up from the bed. Ollie blinked in surprise, shaking his head. “We’ve still got time. You don’t have to do it yet.”

Teddy crossed the cell like he hadn’t heard and opened the window.

The butterflies couldn’t flutter to freedom. They had to land first, crawl beneath the crack, then take flight. It was a struggle, but one by one, they left the cell, and then Teddy shut the window.

He bowed his head, slumping where he stood.

“Talk to me.” Ollie swallowed when Teddy didn’t move. “We said we would let them out just before unlock. Why did you let them go early?”

Teddy exhaled a lingering breath from his nose.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Ollie leaned up to grab the dictionary from the desk. He flipped through the pages. “Talk to me.”

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