The Insectarium

Metamorphosis

by Maria Bălintescu

That night, I went to sleep while thinking to myself that I needed a break
from it all. Next thing I knew, it was already dawn. “Good morning, Ioana”, I
said to my sister, but she didn’t seem to have heard me at all. Naturally, I
ignored her rude behaviour and jumped out of bed, but oh my, it felt as if I
had jumped off of Mount Everest. Something was definitely off when when I
rotated my head 180 degrees. The room also seemed a little bit too big. I
felt strange, so I went to the bathroom, but it took me 5 minutes to get
there because my legs were so short, and my brother almost stepped on
me. “What’s wrong with everybody? The audacity”, I thought to myself. I
casually flew on the shelf and looked into the mirror. At that moment, my
little, fragile insect heart was about to explode. I was a praying mantis! I
knew that if I met my family members, they would probably try to smash
me. That explained their strange behaviour that morning. Suddenly, I felt
the urge to go outside and kill, because I was hungry. I hunted small insects
and especially spiders, that I truly hate. It wasn’t the break that I had
expected, but I quite enjoyed being at the top of the food chain in the world
of insects. Out of the blue, I got caught by a human being and was put in a
glass container in his home. I felt caged, helpless, and I knew I wouldn’t be
able to escape, thanks to my prior experience as human. Without noticing, a
spider came out of the dark and attacked me.”Let’s see who wins, said the
human being”. I was so full of adrenaline that I thought my heart would
burst. Luckily, praying mantises naturally hunt and eat spiders, as well as
many other insects, so I easily defeated my opponent. But the worst was
yet to come. “Did you know that fried praying mantids taste like shrimp or
raw mushrooms?” Those words had marked me for life. I knew the horrible
fate awaiting me. With an evil smile on his face, the human grabbed my in
his hand and threw me in the fried oil. I woke up in a cold sweat, with my
heart bursting out of my chest. I immediately looked around me, then
touched my face and realized that it was one of the strangest nightmares
I’ve ever had. “Eat or be eaten”, I thought to myself and then went back to
sleep.

3
 A Reckless Flight Through Life

by Pănescu Daria- Petruța

It is one thing to wake up and feel like you are a new person and another to
be a whole new creature– no more hands, feet or a stable head to hold the
entirety of your thoughts. It is quite difficult not to be able to reach your
own face anymore and not to miss the feeling of your own human skin. I
have already started to wonder how long it has been since I left my cocoon,
given the fact that the last time I had my eyes open I was still made out of
blood, tegument and bones.
Due to the new perspective, I can tell I am just about the size of a bottle
cap, a produce of human behaviour and irresponsibility tossed across a
messy room. The walls I remember leaning on every morning are now far
away and the trace of my fingertips on the rough surface is no longer
noticeable. My bed seemed to have occupied the entire room before and
the rapidly degrading desk felt just too low, but that isn’t the case anymore.
Now everything higher than a shoe can be identified as useless and
ridiculously far away, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
I could immediately tell that I was an insect because of both the pair of
antennae that quickly blocked my view of the room and the way I could feel
the dust underneath my feet. I started crawling, walking, jumping, flying
around. In the first few seconds everything became a blur, something that
in my human form would have given me adrenaline, a taste of the risk and
pleasure of being aware of my own fears. Quickly I also became aware of my
six fragile jointed legs and my deeply curved and bloated body. My wings
felt so heavy at first, but the feeling of freedom they gave me was purely
unexpected. I couldn’t even see myself, but I had the attributes I wished I
had as a proper human being: freedom, recklessness, beautifulness, the
chance of being an essential part to the complicated circle of nature.
So, what about being a butterfly with no individual experience and
authentic genes made me so endearing, so excited to live a life that wasn’t
given to me in the first place? What made me live through the senses of an
insect and enjoy it with no regard to any danger whatsoever? I guess it just
had to be and I just had to see that life is so much more than what we live.
Life is so twisted and hidden and somehow extremely transparent, but am I
life or am I out here simply living?

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My whole life had changed overnight, but I was neither mad, nor
disappointed. I bet any normal person would be overwhelmed, but that was
not the case for me, at least after the first moments of pure shock. After
some time, I unexpectedly started romanticizing my life as a butterfly,
having realized there was nothing for me to do to bring everything back to
normal. I still have to get used to being an insect that I admire as a human
being, but, until now, this new life has not treated me so badly. I have made
new butterfly friends who have helped me understand everything a little
better, but I still have a long way to go.

The New Life

by Teodora Tudora

I had never believed in the supernatural stories that I used to read when I
was a child. I had always found them surreal and, to be honest, a little
stupid. I guess you can imagine my shock when I woke up yesterday. When I
first awoke, it was pitch black in my room, so I assumed I still had a few
hours of sleep until I actually had to get up. As soon as I opened my eyes, I
had this weird and uncomfortable feeling in my body that I had never
experienced before. I thought I was just sick, so I went back to sleep without
thinking much of it.
When I finally woke up, there was light in my room, but I noticed it was not
the same one that I remembered falling asleep in. I was in a whole other
house. My body was still hurting and when I tried to get out of bed, I realized
what had happened. I immediately looked down and saw that I was no
longer a human. My legs and arms were ridiculously smaller than the rest of
my body. I instantly went to look in the mirror and, to my shock, saw a
beautiful butterfly. The wings seemed to have been splashed with pretty
colors. The metamorphosis that I had learned about in school had happened
to me - a normal person. I thought I was dreaming, but I could not tell if it
was a daydream or a nightmare.
Having analyzed every part of my body, I saw that my legs, arms, and torso
were significantly thinner, therefore, weaker, I thought to myself. I was
carrying a beautiful work of art on my body - my wings. They were
beautifully painted with different tones of pink, the perfect combination of a
flower’s coloring. Though fragile, they seemed to hold power, so I realized I
had to take extra care of them: they could not be touched, hurt or even
overworked. The changes that had occurred in my life were numerous and,
definitely, significant. I had woken up to completely different surroundings,
my body was nothing as I expected, and I knew nothing about myself. I tried
to get ahold of my parents, but I was not able to find a phone or even any
way to communicate with other people. I was scared because I did not know
what was happening or how to handle my new life. I decided to go outside to
see where I was. I found myself in a field full of flowers. They were pink with
light green leaves, just the same as my wings. My house was a beautifully
painted house hanging from a tree branch. The vicinity seemed to be from a
fairytale. I have to admit that I was not too sad that I had been taken from
my normal, human life because I was simply blown away by the beauty of
the surrounding nature.
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 Forever

by Irina Bulat

A sound of a firework blowed away the quiet through the dark. The
sparkling fire was burning while me and him were singing and watching the
sky, hoping we’ll pray for the same thing at the next shooting star. We were
the only ones awake in the middle of that night. I closed my eyes next to
his. And it was the last time it was this way. Because, suddenly, when we got
up in the morning, all the others dissapeared. And everything was much
bigger next to me, like in a dream or a sience-fiction film. The grass was
bigger, the trees were taller, and the sun milion miles away. I was looking for
him to wake me up from this nightmare. As i turned back, a big spider,
bigger than me, came next to me. “Go away, I’m scared, I say”. “Shh,
sweetie, it’s just me…”
That colourful warm voice…could recognize it from a milion. “Darling,
where…who…what are you?” I don’t know how, and when, but we aren’t
human beeings anymore, we’re insects.
I was shoked. I was talking to a spider and watching him as like he was the
love of my life. “I’m scared, did you just say insects? Am I an insect too?
What…am ai?”
“Oh, beautiful, you’re a ladybug, as charming as in real life, like it once used
to be”
How do we get to this point? What are we going to do? We need to eat, to
survive. I want to be with you, I want to go back. But the spider with those
eyes I’ll never forget replied to me: “Girl, ladybug, whatever this life will
want you to be, in any shape, colour or dimension, your sweet eyes and
gifted heart will remain the same. And my heart will keep you in there
forever. But sometimes, life has different plans for the two or us. You, my
dear ladybug, need to fly. You have to live your life as all the ladybugs do.
You need to get higher and higher, to the sun and back, as my love for you
is. But I can’t come with you, because I’m a spider, and I need to stay here. I
cannot fly. But you do, so...go, ladybug, go…”

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 Just like the movies

by David Besoi

After a 50-kilometer trip through the hills on my trusty old bike, I only had
one destination, the bedroom, to get that sweet sleep so that I can get my
energy back. As I woke up, full of energy, with an urge to hit the gym for leg
day as fast as possible. Soon I realized that my bed got exponentially bigger
or I somehow shrunk, but that would be impossible.
When I reached the beds edge, after a couple of minutes of walking, I saw
that my hands weren’t even hands, I had these weird green claws and four
stick-like legs. I got of the bed and went to the mirror, that I reached after
10 minutes, and realized that my reflection is one of a mantis. I somehow
ended up as a mantis, but that wasn’t my problem, not even close, the fact
that me, a person that can be discribed as a brick wall got tranformed into
an insect that looks like a pile of sticks with a triangle for a head, oh the
irony.
An hour of trying to understand why am I a mantis and not something like a
bear, my brain proccesed the information that I am no longer human, and
with that revelation I started to question how is this even possible and my
existence that has practically been erased from this planet’s surface. Then it
came to my mind that this has to be temporary, just like in the movies, I
hope. Thinking of what to do of this experience I realized that going outside
would be the definition of suicide, so staying inside it is, only if this this
thing lasts less than a whole day, otherwise I am going on a trip outside.
While wandering through the empty house I saw that the TV remote was on
the carpet, so with my 50 grams of weight and maybe 100 Newtons of
power I jumped on the powet button hoping to turn the TV on. Luckly it
turned on and saw that Kung Fu Panda was playing. I stared watching
because I can’t do anything else without the risk of dying, or so I thought. In
the middle of the movie, my beloved dog entered the living room, and my
chance of survival became less the zero. But with my experience from
watching “Master Mantis” from Kung Fu Panda, I did a special move and
sent my dog to sleep.
After the movie ended, I looked around the room to see what to do, but I
realized that everything went back to their normal size, or better said, I went
back to normal. After this experince I am going to be scared for life of
mantises and I blame it on DreamWorks, but my survival is still because of
them so I am going to call it even and not seek revenge.

Futile Attempts

by Cosmina Mihăescu

It was quite late already and the sun didn’t wake me up but this peculiar
sensation of emptiness. I was feeling extremely nauseous and my hands and
legs were really sore. I tried to take the glass of water off my nightstand but I
couldn’t reach it. I had a constant feeling that something bad was about to
happen, but you know already that that was how I had been feeling for a
while…that constant pain in my chest; trying so hard to find a grasp of air
but choking with the nothingness of my thoughts, always being scared like a
bug to be in the light, to show myself.
But there was no more room for self pity considering the fact that I was a
bug…the disgusting bug that I had always thought I was. Laying on my bed,
my back resembled a brown and used breastplate and my legs were so tiny
sitting there hopelessly on the stained sheet. My almost umane bedroom
seemed even more lonely than usual. I was staring at the picture hanging on
my wall thinking how hard we all are trying to escape time, to save our most
valuable memories in a jar and put them away…safely and softly in the most
hidden corners of our minds. It was a photo of the sea I had taken 5 years
before; probably the last time I remember being sort of happy, but even
then I was terrified to show myself so I just photographed the sea. It was so
strong and yet so feminine, two things I could never be simultaneously. My
strength was rigid and repellent, it was not the kind that made you admire
me, it was the kind that protected me and helped me survive.
Even when I was younger, I always had that feeling that I could escape my
body and see myself from somewhere far away…disgusted by the way my
legs were looking while I was running, by the way my voice was cracking
when I was arguing with someone, by the thoughts that were crossing my
mind. I had always hated the person I was becoming, but what I had hated
even more was how passive I was- incapable of changing, too numb and
tired to do something, always blaming everything on my youth, forever an
observant but never the protagonist.
My thoughts were spinning in my head and I still couldn’t decide whether I
should get out of the bed or not but those were not the things that are
supposed to be on your mind when you are a bug. I didn't have to care how
my voice sounded, or how my nose looked because I was a bug, a simple bug
that people were trying to get rid of, which was not actually that bad.

9
My body was not there to please anyone but to help me get from one place
to another, I had no responsibility of thinking or behaving a certain way, I
was just allowed to exist without any pressure. Hours had passed by until
that complete tranquility was interrupted…it was my upstairs neighbor
asking for a cup of flour. I tried to answer him but my voice was distorting
into an echo. The door closed and it felt like nothing happened.

10
 Sweet dreams are made of this

by Iulia Țuglui

As I hung my latest creation in my closet, I felt a certain joy and a sense of

pride. I couldn’t help but think that this collection was the one, the first to
bring me fame and recognition around the world. Exhausted, I collapsed on
my bed and closed my eyes, dreaming of a show where everyone admired
my work and wished they could own it…
I woke up, but not because of the sun rays, like I usually did, but because
something was tickling my left side. I felt a little dizzy and noticed
everything around me was pitch black, except for a single ray of hope. I
clumsily made my way towards the only source of light, feeling like it had a
magnetic pull, like my whole purpose for living was to get closer to it.
Escaping the dark place, I felt as though I had been blinded. But the real
shock only came when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I usually
used to adjust my designs. If there were a way for moths to faint, I think I
would have. What actually happened was I slowly fell to the ground,
realising I didn’t exactly know how to use my new-found pair of wings.
I lay there for a while, with my wings wrapped around my body, not
understanding what was happening, but I soon got used to the idea that the
only explanation was that I had gone insane. I suddenly felt an excruciating
hunger, like a flash of lightning that would split my body in two if left
unchecked. At least that would put an end to this nightmare…The pain drove
me to start flapping my wings. In a split second, it hit me, a terrible
realization. I knew what moths feed on, and I also knew that the clothes I
had designed and sewed myself were made of beautiful, soft fabric that
would taste so sweet…
What was I thinking?! I would rather starve to death than destroy my own
work. My rational thoughts didn’t matter much, however, as my antennae
straightened and I could feel myself moving against my will. The natural
instinct to preserve my life was stronger than any wish I might have had.
And so, I flew towards the closet and feasted upon my own creations, my
dearest possessions, feeling disgusted with myself and regretting every
single bite of the fabulous material.

11
 I hated myself for what I’d done, and I knew there was no turning back. After
the tragic “breakfast”, I remained in my closet, among my broken dreams. As
I stood there in darkness and silence, wallowing in self-pity, I suddenly felt a
sharp stab of pain, like poison coursing through my blood, if I would have
had any. Panic started infiltrating my mind as I remembered the reason, I
don’t usually have to deal with moths…the lavender repellent I used to be so
fond of…. Now, my short life as an insect would come to an end because of
it…
Struggling in vain to survive, I flapped my wings one last time as I felt like a
piece of paper, disintegrated by acid. After shattering my own dreams, I also
brought about my miserable end. What a horrible day for fashion!

12
 The Metamorphosis

By Barbu Antonia

It was a stormy night, and I couldn't sleep because of nightmares. I had a

feeling in my gut that something bad was about to happen, but I assumed it
was only because of the wind from outside. Finally, I managed to fall asleep,
thinking about the fact that I had to wake up early the next day in order to
go to a boring meeting with my work colleagues that I did not want to
attend.
In the morning, I was awakened by the sound of the alarm of my phone.
When I tried to turn it off, I realized I could not reach my phone, as my hand
was not long enough. At that moment I opened my eyes and instantly closed
them again, as panic was building up. I was no longer in human form and
size. I was a small flying bug sitting on my bed, in my room. How was that
even possible? What was I supposed to do? Soon, I realized that I could no
longer talk, and I could barely control my new legs and arms. It was horrible
and the worst part was that nobody else was home except me, as my
roommate and I had had a fight two days before. Fear gripped me, because
calls and messages were starting to appear, all concerning my absence from
the meeting, and I could not answer them. After an hour, I was starting to
learn how to move around, and I was more relaxed as the shock had already
passed. I accepted that this was going to be my new body.
I got bored and I decided to go in town. It felt strange that I did not have to
put clothes on, but I also felt free. While I was walking, I found myself happy
to just exist, without somewhere to be at a certain time or something that I
should do. I arrived at my office, and I could see from the window that my
colleagues were still arguing about a problem that we had been dealing with
for weeks. Perhaps the bug’s mind was starting to take over me, but I found
it amusing that for them it was just another ordinary day, while I was
watching them in the body of an insect. Suddenly, all the company’s
problems seemed small, unimportant. I wondered how long it would take for
them to realize what had happened to me.
In the first days, I liked my new life: no responsibilities, no deadlines, no
stressful situations, only some people trying to kill me with their shoes
occasionally. During the day, I lived in my apartment so as not to scare
people outside and in the nighttime, I would go out. A week later, I was fired
from my job and the owner of the apartment took his place back as I had not
paid the rent. Little did he know I was still living there.

13
Then, it started to be monotonous. The day was too long, and I did not have
much to do. How could a flying bug be useful to anyone? One evening, I saw
my roommate talking with my boss about me, so I hid in the grass to hear
their conversation. He was concerned about me and thought that my
roommate could know where I was. She said that she didn’t care that I had
always been too indifferent to tell her anything and that I was a bad person
who only cared about herself. Her words truly hurt me. Had I really been
that bad of a friend? I wanted to talk to her, but I remembered a bug cannot
talk.
I realized she was right, as much as I liked to deny it. I had been a selfish
person who always complained and never appreciated what I had. I wanted
to go back in time and try to listen more to my friends’ problems, to help
them when they needed me. I felt miserable and I thought to myself that
maybe I actually deserved to be transformed into a bug.
The next morning, I woke up with the same feeling that I had felt almost a
year before. When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was not a bug anymore.
I was in human form. Everything was back to normal. I got dressed quickly
and went to the office, as I had a lot of apologies to make, hoping to get the
most out of the second chance I had received.

14
 The day I lived as an insect

by Ioana Bălintescu

I could remember going to sleep after a stressful day and thinking how easy
my life would be, if I weren’t a human with responsibilities. When I woke up,
however, I felt strange as if I wasn’t myself. I couldn’t tell whether it was a
dream or not, but I was sure of one thing: I had shrunk overnight. My pillow,
that used to be the size of my head, could now be a whole bed. No. It was
worse than that. I was approximately the size of a nail, maybe smaller. I tried
to move around, but I couldn’t see what was in front of me. I only had side
vision. Even so I was able to tell how fast I was walking thanks to my six thin
legs. Six legs?! Oh no... could it be… I had transformed into an insect?!
Suddenly, I felt the urge to go outside. I started to look for a way out of my
house and I wanted to thank myself for leaving the bedroom window open.
Without thinking I spread my wings, that I didn’t know I had, and flew across
the room towards my freedom. When I accidentally saw my reflection in the
mirror I had left on my desck, my theory was confirmed. I could have been a
prettier insect. My body was quite long and had a black and orange pattern,
but the oddest part was the trunk on my head. Not wanting to see that
upsetting sight, I quickly flew out the window and landed on grass. It was a
completely different world with so much color. Ants, bees, butterflies and
grasshoppers were everywhere. I even saw a beautiful ladybug walking past
me. I started to feel strange again. Hunger was taking over my reason. Before
I knew it, the red insect was in front of me, unable to move. The trunk on my
head was a weapon for catching prey and I was a killer. An assassin bug.
Whether I was an insect or a human, taking a life didn’t sit right with me. The
idea of living like another species was no longer appealing. I wanted to close
my eyes and disappear, but I had no eyelids. I flew back into my room, on my
pillow. I wanted the guilt to go away. I wanted this to end. Then everything
went dark. When I came to, I was my normal self again. Was it a nightmare?
Could I turn into an insect once more? I had so many questions, but none of
them had an answer. Too tired to think clearly, I pulled my blanket over my
head and decided I would just accept my fate as a human with
responsibilities.

15
 The life of a Bullet Ant Simulation

by Radu Cîrcioroabă

I just came home from a party and decided to sleep immediately because it
was late. The next day, when I woke up, I realized that I transformed into a
bullet ant, which has the most painful sting from its category. At first, I was
scared and confused, but I overcame that fear. It took a while to figure out
how to walk, crawl and bite enemies, but the experience was unique. I have
lived the exact same life as my favorite insect by hunting, exploring and
seeing how bullet ant gloves are made.. The latter are used for a ritual to
initiate the rookies in the Satere-Mawe tribe. The process of making these
gloves is a painful one. Hundreds of bullet ants are collected and placed
with their hands inside the gloves, so they can bite the candidates
continuously. To complete the ritual, the gloves must be worn for ten
minutes. The medicine man and the other candidates will initiate dancing
with the wearer to distract their pain. This must be done for twenty times, so
the rookies can be members of the tribe. The stings themselves are not too
painful; it is the after effects that are far worse. Once the candidates are
through it will also temporarily paralyze their arms. I remember how the
candidates tried their best to resist the agonizing pain. Some of them gave
up only after the first round, others, with a heart of a lion, held oh
themselves until the ritual was complete. After removing the gloves, I was
shocked to see the rookies laying down with their hands paralyzed, and yet
they were not giving up. In pain and sweaty as they were, they managed to
pass the test. Suddenly, everything went black. No whispers, no sounds, no
nothing. Then I realized that it was just a simulation, so I can see and feel the
way that bullet ants live.

16
 Black widow spider

by Cioculeasa Vlad

Covered in black
With the death mark on my back
I no longer have to fear
I know the end is always near

Endless stairs and infinite dreams

Life is more than what is seems
A prisoner of my own mind
Cannot escape the maze I hide
Within myself, throughout my veins
Boiling blood, I am the one who drains
Each drop inside of you
Making place for my venom too

Caught in a web of lies

I have seen with all my eyes
Stupid useless tries
Of leaving it all behind
Although you cannot find
A way to get away
Of the very thing you are today

17
 One of my past oddities

by Ana Ciocan

Everyone has experienced at least once the feeling of being chosen. Out of
eight billion people, I felt special as many years ago a single day happened
to be different. It was Sunday morning and I was living alone in my
apartment. When the alarm went off I gently opened my eyes but I looked
different. Nothing like a human being for sure. What else was I supposed to
do than try to get up and see if it was real? Walking suddenly seemed
extremely balanced and organized as I had six thin legs, three on each side.
Who even likes cockroaches? I never did either, until I realized I became one.
The view was incredible due to the change of perspective, and the size of
objects and surfaces. I explored and took a look all over the place. I tried to
survive hoping things would get back to normal. But everything was
different. My life had been changed and there seemed nothing left to do
about it. I used to behave like a normal person. The whole complexity of my
past life was gone and turned into a two centimeters cockroach. I remember
wishing I was given just a day more in my normal life. I realized I hadn't been
grateful enough for my 'boring' life. The day passed and surprisingly I was a
human being again. Fate chose me that day and made me aware of the
importance my life had.

18
 Too little time

by Barbu Daria

As soon as I woke up on that Saturday morning, I felt something was wrong. I

couldn’t feel my warm bed sheets, so I went straight to the mirror to see
what had happened. The carpet seemed so hard to cross, but the biggest
shock came to me when I opened my eyes and I saw myself and the room
through eight eyes.
At first, I panicked as I wondered what would my mother say when she will
notice that I had disappeared. But then I accepted the fact that this was
going to be my life from then on, in a corner of a room and I had to learn
how to deal with it as soon as possible. The irony of fate was that I
metamorphosed overnight into the insect that I hate the most and I had
never thought about how its life was until then.
It felt so weird to see my thin legs crawling the wall up and down, without a
single worry in the world, a real detachment from the hustle and bustle of
the city that I truly needed. After a few hours, I was already very bored, so I
started sewing. The technique and the ease with which my hands moved
were amazing. Maybe this life won’t be as bad as I believed it would be and I
was about to discover all its advantages. I was proud of the web I had made
and I was tempted to post it on social media, but I remembered I couldn’t.
The silence of the room was broken by the opening of the door. My sister
entered, she looked at me in disgust and then left the room. I had never felt
so horribly in my entire life, but that’s how I reacted, too, when I saw an
insect in my house and maybe that’s how Karma works. After a few minutes,
she came back and squeezed me with a napkin without any hesitation. What
had I done wrong? I was just beginning to enjoy my new life as a spider. That
got me thinking at the fact that the insects’ life hangs on a thinner thread
than those of my only cobweb.

19
 What am I?

by Balasa Radu

Another morning in the same city where I had been living for almost 17
years. Nothing had changed for a long time. The same small houses where
regular people were trying to get a living.
This time everything was different. The body in which I had woken up wasn’t
mine. I was something smaller. My room was 4 time larger. I was feeling like
a speck of dust. At my first move I realized I had a superpower. I was able to
fly. Nevertheless, I was making a strange noise, like a fly, or maybe I was a
fly! I saw and flew like one and I had the size of one. What more did I need to
say that I am one?
What was I supposed to do once I figured out what I was? I couldn’t go to
school as I used to. What do flies when they wake up? do they have any
specific task as us? I couldn’t know. At that point I was able to do whatever I
wanted. I could be flying around all day following other people and seeing
how there are spending their spare time. If I could spy someone’s life, I
could find all their secrets. But what could I do with them? I wasn’t able to
speech with anyone, so their secrets would remain untold.
The lifespan of a fly is around 20 days. Did that mean I was also going to die
in 20 days? Or would I keep man’s life expectancy?
I could also try to find my own body, but I had no idea where it could be. If I
exchanged my life with a fly. It would mean that an insect was living my
normal life, but, for sure, it wouldn’t know what to do in place.
Anyways, there wasn’t anything I could do in that moment, so I just decided
to leave my house and started flying around, hoping that I would wake up
the next day in my own body as I used to.

20
 Leap of faith

by Andrei Bălintescu

When I woke up one day, I felt a little lighter than before. I wanted to get up
but I started moving forward instead. It was as if my nerves had jumbled up
in such a way that I couldn’t use my muscles properly. It was so dark and
vast and warm. I thought I was in the belly of a giant creature but there was
no secretion to turn me into meat paste so I figured that was not the case.
I saw a dim light at the edge of this darkness. A small hole through which I
escaped. I was falling. “QUICK! Do something or you are in big trouble”, I
thought at that moment. Flexing every muscle in my body I managed to
grow some things on my back. They were wings. I could not believe it.
Shocked at my newly achieved body parts I smashed into the ground. I had
no scratch although I am positive, I fell for quite a distance. I looked
carefully at my body for a second and realized that I was a hideous insect.
Not only that but the whole belly of the beast I thought I was trapped in was
my blanket and I had fallen from my bed. For sure this was just a nightmare
and I had to wake up. To test things out I flew into the window, and it
bounced me right back into place. The impact should have been enough to
wake me up, but it did nothing. I started to feel desperate. I tried to wake up
my sisters. When they saw me, they threw things at me, I tried to speak to
them but they wouldn’t listen. It was as if I was cursed. I knew that not being
able to live with my family, in my own human body would crush my soul. I
needed a break.
I went outside, straight to the orchard in my backyard. As sunny and
peaceful as it was, I could not believe how miserable I felt. I was stuck in the
carapace of a Behemoth Beetle. At least that’s what I sought when I looked
in the mirror. Nonetheless, I could not live like this, and I had no way to
transform back.
Time aggravated my wounds both mentally and physically. I was at my wits
end. All these cold nights I spent alone really ate away at my heart. I
decided to end it all. I got high up in the sky and let myself fall on the hard
concrete. My hard shell absorbed some of the impact, but my organs got
crushed under the weight of it. I was still barely alive, going through
excruciating pain. What a pitiful way to die. I would’ve certainly preferred to
die gloriously in battle even if it were only my imagination. The pain had
stopped, and I couldn’t hear anything else. Now I was sure that I would wake
up the next day. After all, this nightmare had lasted long enough…hadn’t it?

21
 It is all gone

by Piele Vlăduț

Monday morning again. Too many things to do, as usual. Somehow, I am

grateful my life is so busy, so I don't have time to get bored. But now I'd
rather sleep for 10 minutes more only to put off getting up and facing
reality. Something goes wrong as I try to open my eyes. It seems like my
eyelids are stitched. After minutes of trying, my field of vision is alive and
active again. Millions of tiny squares with different colors are invading my
brain. My room is now pixeled and blurry. Did I not wake up? Am I still
dreaming? No, I usually behave as in real life even in my worst dreams. Am I
high? No, last night I fell asleep immediately when I arrived home.
It's real. My human body is gone- 2 wide vivid wings are now in charge of my
movement. I have become an insect! A butterfly! I can’t think of a way this
was ever possible. From now on, flying and observing will represent my
whole life. I was always an optimist, and I am used to seeing the good parts
in everything but in this case, I’m simply freaked out. I’ve lost all my friends,
my job, my books, and my ability to communicate. Now everyone will think
that I’m a butterfly and nothing more. I don’t know if I have enough time to
show the world that my body has been converted and I have the mind of a
human being. Nothing but regrets. I had so many things to do today and life
decided to transform me into an insect. What should I want more?

22
 An unsual day

by Andrei Predescu

It was a hot summer day when I woke up and I noticed that everything
around me was very large. I tried to figure out where I was, but I couldn’t
because everything was different from what I knew.
At one point, a huge leaf fell next to me, and I thought I might be in a tree.
After a few minutes I walk around, I saw that the ladybugs were big as me
and after I looked in a drop of water, I saw that I was a ladybug. At first, I
didn’t know what to do to get back to normal, but then I thought that if I got
back to my room, I might have a chance to get back to my original form. The
tree was the one in my yard so it shouldn’t have taken me long to get there.
What I didn’t know was that many dangers could arise on this journey;
puddles, animals larger than me or even other obstacles. At one point, I got
stuck in a spider web. This was a big danger because you don’t know when a
spider could imediattely appear to kill me, but I escaped with the help of
other insects. Then the road to my house wasn’t so difficult that was until
now. I only had one step left: to climb the wall of the house. The first few
attempts were in vain beacuse I kept faling, but then after I realised how to
climb, I immediately got to my room.
Finally, after I got there, I went to bed and i waited for the day to pass.the
next day i thought that i will still be a ladybug,but luckily i was me again.

23
 Entomophobia

by Mara Proteasa

It was just another day, another usual morning where I would wake up in
cold sweat, anticipating a day even worse than the one before. But even in
these conditions, I still felt like something was off. I opened my eyes and
stared at the ceiling for some time when I realized my breathing was weird,
my sight was dramatically changed and I felt my whole body as being a
burden to me. I looked down at my figure only to discover I was an insect. It
felt like a funny dream, a rather weird one but nonetheless at least a bit
amusing, given the fact the I hate insects as I am deeply disturbed by their
hard shell, their multitude of legs, the weird noise they make, everything
about them is detestable.
I tried to pinch myself in order to wake myself up, but I felt this awful
sensation, that odious feeling when a bug is crawling on you. I tried to
scream, but I only let out indecipherable gibberish. It took me an hour of
struggling to accept my new form. After all, my opinion towards my human
form was not even that different. Maybe a hard shell would be better than
my ghostly skin, maybe more legs would help me more than two pathetic
ones that I already had and regarding my voice, I always had this annoying
pitch in it, so that wouldn’t even be that big of a difference.
After some time, a particle of self-awareness made its way to me and I
realized that even in a situation like this, I only cared about how I looked or
how I was going to be seen, as from today I was only a creepy crawly, the
type that people would step on without thinking twice. I tried to get out of
bed once more, but then I realized there is not much to do either. My
thoughts were nothing but pure nonsense at this point, and I found myself
comparing my bug body to my human one. Every aspect of it was gross and
disgusting, but when you started thinking about it more in depth, you realize
that being an insect-like creature is not as different as it is to be an empty-
shell of a human. As I was trying to look on the bright side, I completely
forgot that there is even a side of this story that has a shadow casted upon
it. And just like that, I began to like this version of myself not because it had
amazing features, but because I could be myself in such a different form. I
was also quite sure that I would be treated the same way as I was as a
human, but looking back to it, it was just a stupid observation from me in a
state of panic and delirium.

24
I continued to lay on my armor-plated back and as the time went past me, I
started to feel the urge to do something about this situation as a genuinely
naïve thought. The only thing I hated about being an insect is that I could
not play music anymore, but as hurtful as this realization was, the fact the
my back didn’t ache anymore was a much bigger success.

25
 What in the world of ants?

by Octavian Manda

8AM. 4th June. Last night, I went to bed thinking that the next day would be
just as the others: another day of school. I woke up. I opened my eyes.
Everything was blurry. At first, I thought something was wrong with my eyes.
Then I looked down. I didn’t have any arms or legs. I had some tiny legs. I
started feeling very tiny.
When I got to the side of the bed, I was very tired. It was such a long way.
Twenty minutes later, I arrived in front of the mirror. I WAS AN ANT! At the
same time, I was both horrified and surprised. As an insect, I should try to
adapt to this life of an ant. Maybe I should find a colony. Finally, I will have a
family, and a big one also, not as in my human life where I had no one. I’m
going to find an anthill.
After a couple of hours of walking through my old garden and my
neighbours’ ones, I found a colony. When I got there, everyone started
asking me what my name was. At first, I was struck by this question, as I
didn’t know what to answer. I told them my human name, John Smith.
Everyone who asked me was disappointed when they heard it. Eventually,
after a discussion with another ant, Steve, I found out that most of the ant
of this so-called colony, were humans that woke up as ants just like me.
Apparently, the whole human race turned into an insect, some in ants, some
in butterflies, some in bees, etc.
In a few days, I accommodated to this way of life and I was one of the most
hardworking ants in my colony. I liked this life more than the basic one I had.

26
 A different reality
by Cruceru Maria

What would yousay if one day you wake and you are a bee? You are not sure
how you got where you are. You are not sure how you got so small. You are
not sure how so much time passed. You are not even sure how you feel.
You’re an insect. Your life is completely different. You can’t walk, you can’t
talk, and your family doesn’t understand you. It’s hard to live knowing you
can’t do the things you used to do. You’re not sure where you are, or even if
you are still in your room. Your nose isn’t sensitive enough to smell
anything, but you can feel the bed beneath you. Your brain doesn't seem to
be changed, your thoughts just as clear and rational as they were last night
before you went to bed. You're trying to look at yourself in the mirror, but to
be honest there's nothing to see there. Just a small, almost invisible bee,
confused and trapped in a body she doesn't understand in a strange new
world, that she can't help but feel curious to explore. You're trying to leave
your room, to reach for the door knob that now can't be reached, to open
the door to your past. You can't do that anymore. The past is too far away
for your mind to even acknowledge its existence. Luckily, the window is
open and the cold morning air invites you outside in the wilderness that
used to be your life. You wonder if pain felt the same before, if pain burned
your chest so hard, if this is how it is going to feel from now on. A trace of
excitement warms your small body, as you realize that you are flying. You
have escaped the condition of the prisoner of the land and for the first time
in your life, freedom is by your side. When you realize your dimensions, you
feel vulnerable. Anyone could kill you, hurt you, but there was a calmness
about that too. Not many have the chance to disappear like this, to hide into
the shadows with the sun on their faces. Your life used to be so hectic, so
consuming. The nights so long and sleepless. You can’t remember the last
time you felt so at ease. You feel like you’ve never breathed better. Ah, and
there it is. Your house. Your family is probably inside, at the kitchen table,
wondering why it is taking you so long to get ready, but when you look
through the window, everything is different. They are indeed at the kitchen
table, but tears are sliding on their cheeks, their faces tired and hopeless.
You feel the urge to be with them, to comfort them, to show them that you
are alive and well. But you can’t do that and for the first time in your life,
you learn what helplessness is and how suffocating the feeling is.
27
You thought that bees where supposed to be surrounded by flowers and
endless rays of sunshine. How wrong you were, how quickly you jumped to
the conclusion that others were doing better, that others were better. You
want to cry, but you simply don’t know how. You try to think about your
past, to find your best and happiest memories, but you are not able to find
them. Nothing worth to be remembered got stuck in your little mind.In
these moments, you realize the irony of life, the way your emotions change
by the minute. Time passes, as it always does and night finds in the same
spot. It’s getting colder and colder. Your parents are not at the kitchen table
anymore. You are all alone. But tomorrow is a new day and somehow you
manage to find the strength to make a little room for hope in your existence.
Maybe tomorrow the sun will shine brighter than it did today. After all, your
future has not been written yet.

28
 For everyone who wonders how it happened…

by Teodora Lăcraru

“We’ll ask you to come back in 15 minutes!” These are the last words I
remember hearing before falling into a deep kind of sleep in the driver’s
seat of my car. It was one of those torrid days in the summer when I
believed it would be a good idea to cool off by ordering a cold lemonade
next to my lunch. I waited in my car while it was being prepared, although
the air conditioning didn’t prevent me from passing out. Eventually, I woke
up more exhausted than before. My eyes and body were hurting as I realized
the world I see now is nothing like before. Besides the fact that while looking
straight I could almost see the backseat in the corner of my eyes, the area I
was sitting on was a narrow slippy one. Soon I realized I was a tiny fat
creature sitting on top of the steering wheel, almost feeling like I could roll
over and fall. I figured out shortly after that I could fly, so I managed to go
up facing the rear-view mirror. That’s when everything I was feeling started
to make sense. I was a fat furry bumblebee. It’s been 5 minutes since I woke
up as a noxious-looking insect. The first instinct wasn’t to go inside the store
and grab my lunch. Instead, I squeezed my body through the crack of the
window and tried to go up to someone to try to talk with them, but no one
could hear me, nor notice me. I managed to go on top of the restaurant
where I was lucky enough to find another bumblebee. That’s when I met
Greg, my current bee-best friend. He asked me who I was, what happened,
and where I’m headed. “Home, I guess, I should tell my family what
happened to me”, I responded. “You’re crazy, they are not your family
anymore, they’re humans and we are insects. Let me show you what being a
bumble-bee feels like. We’re important pollinators of wild flowering plants
and crops. Follow me to your home for the next month”. Greg taught me
later that day almost everything I know now, after 25 days of being a
bumblebee. I’ve made a lot of friends with whom I spent everyday. Greg
informed me about us, bumblebees; besides pollinating plants out in
nature, we also help to keep ecosystems healthy. Soon, I’m going to die just
like Greg did yesterday. We pass away after around 28 days and transform
back into humans. I’m going to miss this lifestyle, however I can’t wait to go
back to normal and meet Greg and my hive mates again, but this time as
humans.

29
 Beginner’s guide to not be a spider

by Rareș Călin

Insects are and will be despised by a large portion of the population. No

matter how unthreatening or small bugs may seem compared to us, we still
fear them.Now, one day I learnt at school about spiders, which unsettled
most of the class. Unfortunately, that’s what sticked with me the entire day.
I don’t really fear spiders, but I always keep a safe distance from them. Later
on that day I went to sleep knowing well I will probably have a nightmare.
When I woke up, the first thing I was surrounded by was something that
resembled a forest, although the trees did not have any leaves. It was really
dark; I could barely see anything besides the tall sticks. Still confused, I tried
to move, but I stumbled. I had more than 2 legs, 8 to be more specific and
the worst part they were extremely hairy. I was in shock and awe. Was I a
spider? What was going on? The only kind of light was the natural light that
was shining from the top of the “forest”. I did not even know where I was. So,
my adventure began. I got used to my legs pretty fast. It wasn’t long before I
got company. Some kind of little monster was aproaching me. I wasn’t sure
whether I should run or hunt it since I was a spider. Upon further inspection I
recognized this kind of bug from another biology class. These were the kind
of insects that grew in rugs, so putting my little bug brain to work I figured
out I was most likely in a rug. I wondered how will I manage to get out. Since I
couldn’t tell where exactly I was in the rug, I chose a direction and started
walking over the small mountains of hair and dust. All of a sudden, the
ground started shaking. That was mostly likely a human. The door opened.
The steps were getting closer and closer. The foot was already near me. The
shadow of the impending doom that was above my body. I closed my eyes,
accepting my fate… I was still alive.
I woke up. I didn’t die. It was just a nightmare, just as I imagined. I for sure
knew I didn’t want to become a spider, although the thought of not going to
school seems tempting.

30
 Just looking forward, forgetting about the past…

by Raluca Tudorin

Today, as I woke up, I looked at the sky and the rays of sun were shining like
always and the birds’ song was just as relaxing as I could remember.
But something was different. I felt so little in such a big world. I looked at my
reflection in the lake and all I could see was the little body of an ant. I was
getting flashbacks of my past life as a human being and I was very confused
why I was stuck in the body of an insect..
The night came and as I was crying myself to sleep, a little ant from my heap
came to me. She asked me what was wrong and I told her what had just
happened to me. She told me that sounds familliar to her but that was just
the circuit of nature because life was just too beautiful to not be lived as all
kinds of living creatures. I was still sad because I was missing everything I
had before and did not believe that could be possible.
Furthermore she told me that I should be grateful that God has chosen me
to be an ant and not any other sort of living creature because they are the
most hardworking insects. They are also very loyal to their heap. That made
me think deeper about it and realised that those were some characteristics
of myself as a human and I was starting to understand. The most precious
advice she gave me was that I should be looking only forward and not look
in the past.
I went to sleep and the next day I was just an ordinary ant, just like the
others. The only thing I could do was work for my heap, enjoy the nice
weather and new friends without any kind of worries. And most important of
all, I was happy with my new life.

31
 Trapped in another world

by Miroiu Diana

I don't remember when I fell asleep, but I'm awakened by a ray of sunshine,
lost in the cracks of the window. I can feel the fresh forest breeze blowing
into the room. I open my eyes aware that a tiny swelling on my back
prevents me from turning from side to side. The room suddenly feels much
larger, and I move slowly through the bedding. When I look down, I notice
some small, hairy feet, and when I started to count, I find that there are six
of them. A gust of wind blows into the room, lifting me near to the ceiling.
When I feel a pair of wings helping me keep flying, I don't even have time to
think about what's going on. It doesn't take me long and I aim to reach the
mirror. The bright red on the wings and the black spots on my back make me
realize that I have become a ladybug. It's been 2 minutes since I woke up, the
window is open so I manage to fly out and head towards the two children
playing in the alley in front of my house. I want to tell them to help me, but
they don't seem to hear what I have to say. I leave myself lightly on a leaf
when I notice that the two children are coming in my direction, it seems that
they have heard what I said. Suddenly, someone takes me off the leaf and
shouts at me: ” Be careful, no one has taught you to beware of people
because they don't realize how fragile we, ladybugs, are.” In the moments
that follow, an insect with a similar appearance to mine leads me away from
the street and takes me into nature. I feel trapped in a world I don't
understand, where only insects can hear what I say, a world that is no longer
mine. Soon, the ladybug who saved my life will share with me her life
experience and will make me realize what my life will be like from now on.
She pointed out the bright colors of my wings, which keep the enemies
away, she told me where I have to go when the hibernation period starts and
also she told me to be aware of people, because they can be harmful with
their strength without realizing it. My new friend's assistance, however, did
not last long. It's been a few days since I've lived in another body and my
friend just died 2 hours ago, hit by a bicycle wheel. I am on my own from
now on, without anybody taking care of me.

32
 Fly away
by Sanda Daria

Books are like flypaper, Camelia Funke says in ”Inkheart” because memories
cling to the printed pages better than anything else. When my life came to
an end, I realized it for myself. I awoke one day feeling strange. It was that
feeling you get when you know something is wrong, but you don’t know
what it is. That is until you get up to look in the mirror. And you stand there,
astounded and even disgusted by your dull gray oval-shaped body. It was
traumatic to wake up early in the morning feeling dizzy and concerned
about day-to-day life, to a metamorphosis of a fly. I was afraid to tell my
parents, and I knew my horrendous appearance would draw a lot of
attention, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and leave. I tried
to see the bright side, that I could now fly wherever I wanted, but I couldn’t
accept the life of a fly because, after all, I still had the thinking of a human
and my mental capacity was at its peak. Or so I thought. The days passed,
and I gradually began to behave more like a real fly. I only noticed it when I
got into a library and I couldn’t get out because I kept on hitting the glass. I
eventually gave up and accepted that I was going to die soon because flies
only live for about a month. I started reading books and imagining myself as
a human again, returning home and growing old. I began to ask myself
questions. Never before had I wondered why I had turned into a fly and how
it happened. I discovered Franz Kafka’s ’’Metamorphosis” and for the first
time in my new life, I felt understood and at peace. I accepted my fate and
died between the pages of Gregor Samsa’s story. The book served as my
flypaper and the memory of my life as a fly is attached to it.

33
 Buzzing in a bee’s life

by Karina Deaconu

I woke up this morning to find myself transformed into a bee. I initially

considered that I was dreaming, but the world looked quite differently from
when I was human. I was alone in my room, and suddenly a lot of other bees
appeared at the window. Somehow, they tried to communicate with me and
I understood that I must join them to collect pollen together. We pollinated
wildflowers as well as shrubs, thus enhancing and ensuring plant
biodiversity and beauty in gardens. We like flowering plants because we
feed on their nectar and pollen. I learned than not only bees need flowers,
but also flowers need bees. When I was a girl, I used to like flowers because
they were pretty, but now that I am a bee, I see dinner. Me and my colony
worked with each other to gather food. We tried to find the most pollen and
nectar in the least amount of time possible. But in our way to the hive, I
realized that this experience is too long for a dream. I started to panic and
realized that my parents might be worried about me. I went home and saw
them worried, but I had nothing to do and I didn't even know if I would ever
be human again. I was sad and didn't know what to do. I went in my room
and then my mom came in, scared because she didn’t know where I was.
Because I was a bee, my mom casted me out of the room. After a while, the
bees came after me again, and telling them what had happened, they
offered to help me with my new bee life. They taught me what to do as a
worker bee, but somehow, I was familiar with all the things they showed me,
as if I had always done them. I become more and more accustomed to the
daily life of a busy and active bee, but with time, the longing for family and
friends grew. I knew I couldn't do anything about missing them, so I kept
myself busy so I wouldn't remember them. Ever since I became a bee, my
life has changed almost completely, but one thing has remained the same as
when I was a human being, my favorite flower. Lavender plants are my
favorite, not only because they are rich in nectar, but also because of their
beautifully scented purple flowers, next to which I feel much calmer and
forget all the hard moments. It had been 3 weeks of buzzing through the
flowers, and I decided to see my classmates again, so I went to school. The
window was open, so I went in and went over to my bench. I had forgotten
that my college was afraid of bees, so she started screaming and shaking
hands. A boy took a book and hit me, so I fell to the floor. Unable to get up
and fly away, the last thing I saw was the foot of my colleague heading
towards me.
34
 Freedom of a Misunderstood Soul

by Teodora Iacob

Sunday morning. I woke up to the sound of the crowded city, my head

feeling dizzy and my body tingling. It was a strange feeling, but I did not give
it too much attention. I tried to take the covers off, but they felt really
heavy, unusually heavy. I opened my eyes my eyes, only to see my arms
have… disappeared?! I made my own towards the mirror, only to find out I
am no longer human! But… what has happened to my body? How am I still
conscious? But, most important… why have I metamorphosed into a
butterfly?
I looked out of my window, confused and anxious. Dreams had never felt so
real… but was it actually a dream? I look down towards the people,
observing how they live their normal lives, wondering if any of them have
ever turned into an insect overnight, if any of them had grown two pairs of
wings, small eyes and two antenna. Not that I am complainingș I have always
wanted to swap bodies and see the world through an insect’s eyes, that is
why I have always been passionate and interested in reading books about
metamorphosis. But never have I thought I was actually going to be one
some day.
I sneak through the keyhole, realising being small has its own advantages. I
made my way outside, flying above everyone, feeling the wind as freezy and
cold as I have never felt it before. Still shocked by the unexpected event,
unconsciously I went to a forest, which hides a beautiful lake in between its
large trees. As I was sitting on a leaf, admiring the mesmerising nature, an
intrusive thought occurred to me: if I stayed a butterfly, was I going to share
the same fate as them? Was I going to live only for a few weeks? I could not
stand the idea of not seeing the whole world while living as a butterfly. That
is when my adventure has begun. I could not waste any time, since I did not
know for how long I was going to live. I left my hometown with no regrets,
not knowin what future had in plan for me. Carefree, I visited some of the
most breathtaking places that, as a human, I would have never get to see. I
explored the world and its beauties for as much as I could, taking the form
of a butterfly that sought freedom.

35
After four weeks, I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, understanding
that my time has come. I had to give up on this ideal life, of a free-spirited
insect. I did not know what was going to happen to me, but one thing I knew
for sure: I did not regret that Sunday morning. Having the freedom of a
butterfly was the best gift I could ever receive. Colorful and painted wings
alongside with clear vision and two beautiful antenna were totally a dream,
as well as flying in the large horizon.
Next thing I knew, I woke up, unclothed, in the same forest as in the first
day, at the base of an enormous tree, which branches were casted over the
crystal clear water of the lake. I did not remember what happened. My wings
have been cut off, again.

36
 My whole life

by Karina Cojușneanu

My whole life, I have always been criticised by the people around me. It is
hard to find a place where you fit in, but it is even harder to stay there. It
does not exist a plan for your life, you need to improvise, you have to be
creative. Otherwise, you will remain stucked forever. I have come to this
conslusion as a consequence of what happend to me the other days.
I opened my eyes and took a look around me.The light that was coming
throw my window, that was usually bothering me, was now a part of me.
Normally, my first instinct would be to put a pillow on my face, but this time
I was feeling different. It was not something I would like to get rid off. While I
was trying to grab my phone from the bedside, I felt srange. The weight of
my arms was not dragging me down. It was actually veryv easy to move
them. I was feeling unusual. My next insinct was to open my eyes and I did.
Suddenly, the monotony of my life was gone. The colors were brighter, the
sounds were clearer, the klife I knew since then had changed. We all
experienced at least one time in our lives, the feeling of freedom. For me,
that was the first. Maybe for an another person, it would be scary and weird.
But I was not.
My first question was why. Why a butterfly? And more important, what
now? This should be the consequence of my actions. But my days were
always the same. Nothing special. I woke up, got dressed, went to school
and than I came home. A tipical morning. A tipical afternoon. With every
decision we make, we earn something. But this act, it is not mine. I can not
complain either. Of course, everyone would want to be a butterfly.
Throughout their lives, they are admired, hunted and looked at with envy.
Many poeople try yo catch or touch one, but most of the time, without
success. They are somehoe a riddle that is waiting to be solved.
Being captive in the world of becoming what everyone wants me to be has
been hard. I came to the concusion that if I want to find my own path, I need
to learn how to make my own decisions. The window was opened and the
response to my problems was there. The weight of my body was gone. 24
hours

37
 The Monarch Butterfly

by Beatrice Deaconu

One morning when I woke up everything in my room was bigger and I did
not realize what happened. When I lifted my head I saw that my body had
black, white and yellow striped and fleshy tentacles. I quickly looked in the
mirror on the wall and I discovered that I had turned into an insect, a
caterpillar more exactly. I was scared and I did not know what to do. By the
time I was trying to calm down, I heard someone coming. It was my mom. I
was trying to tell her what happened, but she couldn’t understand me and
threw me out of the house. I knew that I couldn’t go back there, so I decided
to leave as soon as possible. But that was not easy because it had trouble
moving. I had numerous little legs which never stopped waving in all
directions and which I couldn’t control at all. After a while I finally managed
to control my body. But two weeks after the transformation I had difficulty
walking again, because I turned into a butterfly. The good part was that I
was no longer an ugly caterpillar. I was a beautiful butterfly and my wings
were orange with black borders and veins and white spots along the edges.
As soon as I learned how to fly, I decided to go home and see my family. The
window from my room was opened and when I entered the house
something happened. I was in my bed and I was no longer an insect.
Everything felt so real, but it was all a dream. At least I think it was.

38
 The mystery of the hive

by Theodor Ancuța

It was not long after I celebrated my birthday that I woke up on an unusual

morning surrounded by lots of noise and hustle. It was a cramped and bright
place, where everyone knows exactly what to do and, most important,
almost no one loses a second.
While I was staring at everything that happened beside me, I heard someone
calling me and then flying towards me:
“It is so late. What have you been doing by now? You know what you have to
do and you should hurry up, otherwise the queen won’t be happy at all.”.
Confused, I did not know how to react, but eventually, I managed to explain
to him the situation I was in, and in the following minutes, I was up with
everything that had seemed strange at first. Moreover, he showed me the
way to the queen's office and explained in detail my role in the hive. Thus, I
started my first day of work, being really excited about it, as it all looked
organized and simple. Not after a long time, we went outside in a row, the
front bee being the most experienced out of all of us in order to do the work
efficiently. Our job was to maintain the hive with the necessary things such
as water as well as to collect pollen. Although it all seemed like
undemanding work, I found out that it is not the same as I thought when it
comes to practice. Not only is the collecting from each flower the most
challenging action, but it is also the patience and the weight of the pollen
we have to carry during the whole day. In the end, after I respected the
given advice, I managed to complete the workday successfully, but it felt
exhausting.
To draw a conclusion, I found an unbelievable resemblance between the
amount of work human beings and bees do ans also raised me awareness on
the fact that we should preserve more the benefits the insects provide.

39
 Unexpected transformation

by Marinescu Andrei

It was the morning of a hot summer day. I was closed-eyed and everything
around me felt much colder.When I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was in a
hollow of a tree and car-sized drops of water were flowing from the ceiling
next to me.
At first I was surprised by what was happening, but I thought it was only a
dream.
I got up and went to the exit. I was at a very high altitude, same as if I were
on a top of a skyscraper. I realized that I had turned into a very small
creature and when I tried to look at my feet, I couldn’t see them. I saw a
puddle in the distance and thought about going to look in the reflection to
see what I actually was.
I threw myself from the tree into a large place with grass that I have seen
from above. However, the landing was not as painful as I expected. Then, I
made my way slowly to the puddle. When I got there and I looked in the
reflection, I couldn’t believe I was an ant. I thought with fear that I would live
the life of a insect now, but I still hoped it would be just a nightmare that
would end as soon as possible. I went to look for a mound and on they way I
gathered bread crumbs.
In the end, I reached the destination, but the journey to get there was very
dangerous because I always had to avoid the feet of people or birds that
wanted to hurt me. Since then I have lived the life of an ant, which is
repetitive, dangerous, but with fewer responsabilities, hoping every day that
I will return to the life I lived before.

40
 The mysterious transformation

by Andreea Calianu

"What am I doing on the floor and why does the furniture look so large?" I
had all these questions in my head, but with no answers. I couldn't realise
what was happening to me and I didn't even know what I was. I started
looking for a mirror and when I saw my reflection in it, I was shocked to see
that I had become a bee. I had many legs, wings and I was so small. I thought
I was dreaming because it didn't feel real to go to sleep and wake up as an
insect the following day. I tried to scream, to communicate with someone,
but I was stuck in my house and no one could hear me because I wasn't
human anymore. I started thinking of a plan to explain my parents the
mysterious transformation. I flew towards them hoping that they will
understand me, but they were annoyed by my presence and by the sounds I
made, therefore being forced to leave.
There I was, a lonely insect, with no purpose, no place to go and no idea
about the situation I was in. All day I had been flying around the
neighbourhood, trying to see how the life of a bee was, but I didn't know
what to do. That happened until I was found by another bee who asked me
where my apiary was and what I was doing there alone. I thought about
telling the truth, which wasn't believable, so I ignored her questions and
asked if she could take with her and show me what to do. I felt as my soul
was lost and as if I was trapped in another universe.
During a week I had been taught how to collect nectar and pollen, to store
and process the products, to protect the queen, to clean and ventilate the
hive. It was a lot of hard work that I didn't know about and I wasn't used to
have so many chores to do for my family. This thought made me remember
how my life was before the transformation occured, when I was taken care
of by my parents and I didn't think about the small creatures around me. I
finally had the courage to tell the other bee why I was so unexperienced ,
because I understood I might never return to normal and she wasn't
surprised at all. She told me I was welcome to live with them and she said
she would explain me the rules and tell me more about the changes of my
body, the life span of bees and any additional information. I was a worker
honey bee and I needed to know my role especially in crop pollination on
which depended a significant amount of the world's food supply.

41
Suddenly, an earthquake began and I was back in my room, in my house, as
nothing unusual happened. I hugged my parents, but they didn't know I was
missing. In fact, they were surprised to hear my story about the
transformation and the days spent in an insect's body. I still don't know if
everything was just a dream or something inexplicabile really happened to
me, but I am sure that now I will spent more time outside and I will let
myself be fascinated by the beauty of the nature.

42
 Test Subject

by Tepurlan Vlad

Ever since I have become an insect many things have changed in my life. I
did not expect to be treated as well as I have been.
One day I woke up and my body was totally different. I was covered with a
big chitinous shell and my limbs were excessively hairy. I admit I was
repulsed by my own appearance but I kept trying to accept it. I tried to get
out of bed and I found it very hard to accomplish even the most basic tasks.
Luckily, this event did not mean much to anyone but me. Everyone around
me treated me the same as before.
Now, I sit in my bed alone with my thoughts. Suddenly, I hear the warden of
the research facility calling me. Today is my big day, they say. All the tests
they wanted to do have been finished. They tried to find out everything
about this body and the soul has long died in the process.
Finally, time has come for the body. Everyone is here, includiny my family,
my friends. They watch as the terrible monster gets put to sleep forever.

43
The End