What the she-ducks wanted was of no matter to the Caterpillar–he was only
concerned about the shape of his smoke rings. But nonetheless, he instantly
saw what the problem was and wasted no time in setting things right.
Lowering himself from his perch (which required unnatural undulations of
his plump torso), the Caterpillar carefully balanced his smoking pipe on
his back and advanced towards the pond. When he arrived, he found the ducks
arguing as usual–In fact, the fierce she-ducks would not have noticed him
were it not for the trail of smoke arising from the grass.
“Who are you?” Faint rings from the Caterpillar’s earlier smoke that
morning emerged from his mouth as he greeted the she-ducks.
The she-ducks halted their bickering and stared at the small intruder who
had just stolen their question.
Pushing past the startled ducks, the Caterpillar headed straight
towards the problematic bush. He surveyed it briefly before removing the
pipe from his back and holding it to his mouth. Inhaling deeply, he turned
purple, and then green, before finally exhaling into the pipe. A giant smoke
ring of chatoyant brilliance flickered in the sky before darkening into
burgundy. Instead of rising and disappearing though, the ring stained the
bush, leaving a red “O” on the leaves.
Silence settled on the ducks as the red circle bore into their eyes.
The Caterpillar calmly turned to face them and waved his pipe.
“What’s the use of arguing when a single stamp of ownership,” the
Caterpillar threw a glance at the red soaked leaves, “can silence a hundred
words?”
“What if we don’t have a stamp?” One of the braver she-ducks stepped
forward, her eyes narrowed.
The Caterpillar shrugged, “That’s not my problem.”
“But is the stamp fair?” The same she-duck persisted.
“What is fairness in the face of ownership?” The Caterpillar spat onto
the ground and momentarily stopped to admire the smooth circle it formed.
“There is no need for fairness when there is justification.”
Several of the she-ducks began to slightly nod their heads—the
Caterpillar had used the word “justification,” which seemed justifiable in
this situation.
The bold she-duck seemed taken aback but managed to ask, “Then what is
your justification?”
“Simple. You were a disturbance to the neighborhood.”
A smug smile crept onto the Caterpillar’s face as the she-ducks stared
embarrassedly at one [