HOW GOD MADE "FLUTTER-BYS"

WELL, THE LORD HAD JUST FINISHED MAKING THE WORLD AND HE SAT BACK
IN HIS BIG OL' ROCKER TO LOOK IT OVER. "NOT A BAD JOB, IF I SAY SO
MYSELF." HE LIT UP A BIG, FINE CIGAR AND WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD
ABOUT IT UNTIL HE NOTICED THAT THE WORLD LOOKED KIND OF BARE. THE
FACT OF THE MATTER WAS THERE WASN'T A THING TO THE WORLD EXCEPT LAND,
TREES AND A LOTS OF WATER. THERE WAS EVEN MORE WATER THAN LAND.
"WONDER HOW I DID THAT," THE LORD SAID. "SEEMS TO ME I'D PLANNED FOR
THERE TO BE MORE LANDTHAN WATER." WELL, HE SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND
TURNED HIS MIND TO MAKE THE WORLD LOOK A BIT PRETTIER. "GIMME MY
PRUNING SHEARS," HE CALLED OUT AND ONE OF THE CUTE, LITTLE ANGELS RAN
AND GOT THEM. THEN THE GREAT LORD ALMIGHTY LEANED OUT OF HIS ROCKING
CHAIR, TRIMMED THE TREES, AND THREW THE TRIMMINGS ALL OVER THE EMPTY
GROUND. THAT'S WHAT MADE THE GRASS, BUSHES, AND ALL THE FLOWERS.
"NOW THAT DON'T LOOK TOO BAD," HE SAID AND LEANED BACK. "YESSIRY
I'VE DONE MADE A AWFUL PRETTY WORLD." AND SO SAYING, HE WENT TO BED
TO REST UP FROM ALL THAT WORK. THE NEXT MORNING THE LORD HADN'T EVEN
HAD ONE EYE OPEN YET, WHEN HE HEARD THE FLOWERS WHISPERING AMONG
THEMSELVES, "IT'S LONELY DOWN HERE"; THE OTHER FLOWER SAID, "WE
WERE PUT HERE TO KEEP THE GROUND COMPANY AND MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK
PRETTY, BUT IT SURE IS MIGHTY LONELY." THE LORD SHOOK HIS HEAD IN
DISGUST. "HAVE MERCY, FATHER. YOU GET THROUGH MAKING ONE THANG AND
AND THE NEXT THANG YOU KNOW YOU GOTTA MAKE SOMETHING TO GO WITH THE
FIRST. GIMME THEM LITTLE SHEARS, ONE OF YOU ANGELS, PLEASE." AN
ANGEL BROUGHT HIM THE TEENICHY PAIR OF SHEARS AND HE BENT OVER TO THE
EARTH AND STARTED SNIPPING LITTLE PIECES OFF OF EVERYTHING - THE SKY,
THE GROUND, THE TREES, THE ANIMALS, THE BUSHES, THE FLOWERS;
EVERYTHING HE PUT HIS SHEARS ON, GOT SNIPPED. "THE VERY IDEA OF
GETTING COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WORLD AND IT AIN'T EVEN A DAY OLD.
THAT'S GRATITUDE." THE LORD HAD A FEELING HE WAS GOING TO BE GETTING
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WORLD FROM THEN ON. HE WAS SO MAD THAT HE DID
NOT CARE WHAT HE SNIPPED - SNIP, SNIP, ALL MORNING LONG. WELL, WHEN
THE FOLKS LOOKED UP AND SAW THE TINY CLIPPINGS FLUTTERING AROUND.
THEY CALLED THEM FLUTTER-BYS. THE BLUE FLUTTER-BYS HAD BEEN SNIPPED
FROM THE SKY; THE YELLOW FLUTTER-BYS HAD BEEN CLIPPINGS FROM THE SUN;
AND THERE WERE THE LORD'S WHITE FLUTTER-BYS THAT WERE CLIPPINGS FROM
THE STARS. EVERY COLOR FLUTTER-BY YOU COULD THINK OF WAS FLUTTERING
AROUND.

Submitter comment:

THIS IS ANOTHER LONG NARRATIVE WITH A STRONG BLACK IMAGE, AS REFERRED
TO IN MY COLLECTION'S SEQUENCE NUMBER 731772-1; I GET THE
IMPRESSION THAT THIS IS A BLACK GOD.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Butterfly ; CREATION ; ETYMOLOGY ; God ; NAME ; Origin ; PERSONIFICATION ; Tale

James Callow Keyword(s): PERSONIFICATION

Date learned: 00-00-1954