The Color of Grasshoppers

By Crystal Grant

They’d placed me as a grasshopper.

I hadn’t expected anything grand like a butterfly or firefly, but a grasshopper? They couldn’t even fly straight.

Sounds of festivity faded behind me as I stomped through the encampment, blood boiling and wings buzzing. The last thing I wanted to do was celebrate. I crushed the graduation sash in my fist. All hopes of grandeur dissipated. I’d been grounded. The only girl placed as a grasshopper.

“Rikka?”

I gritted my teeth at the sound of my best friend’s voice, but turned as Lissi caught up, borne gracefully by her large, silvery wings.

“You left the ceremony early.”

I eyed the bright blue-and-red sash hanging over her shoulder: butterfly. I expected nothing less for the princess. She was born for great things. But no such luck for the princess’s best friend. I would always be second fiddle—the sidekick. The comic relief.

“They made me a grasshopper.” I spoke through a clenched jaw.

Her brows lifted. “I thought you’d like it.”

“Like it?” I shook the crumpled sash. “I would’ve rather been a fruit fly.”

Lissi laughed. “Who wants a placement like that?”

“At least they can spy on the humans.” Grasshoppers were just messengers. Foot soldiers. Emphasis on foot. They spent more time on the ground than in the air. “They’re punishing me for all the pranks I pulled in school.” Harmless pranks meant to make people laugh. Not condemn me to a sentence of humiliation and service.

“The mentors assign everyone what they think suits them best. There’s nothing wrong with grasshoppers. You’ll be a natural.”

“This is because of my looks, isn’t it?” I shoved my thin, straight hair off my face. “Plain hair, plain eyes, plain figure, so they place me as an ugly grasshopper.” My lips curled at the image of grasshoppers in my head. Long, thin bodies with sharp, angular joints. Bulging eyes and stick-like antennae.

Lissi’s own expressive eyes widened. “Plain looks? That’s nonsense.”

I glared at my sash. The dull browns and greens mocked me. “See if I ever transform. I’ll leave first.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Easy for you to say! You’ve got the best assignment in the school.”

Lissi frowned and rose in the air. “I thought we could celebrate together, but if you’re too set on feeling sorry for yourself, I’m going back to the ceremony.” Her fairy form dissolved into a butterfly with large blue wings edged with red. Resentment pricked at my chest. Lissi had always been the splash of color against my earth tones.

The ground vibrated beneath me and I stiffened. Fiddle! We’d wandered right into the backyard of a human.

I darted under a yellow marigold. “Lissi, watch out!”

Too late. A young girl spotted the butterfly, squealed, and took chase, her feet pounding and voice piercing. Lissi fluttered in the air, just out of reach.

My heart thudded. Most human children meant no harm, but one swipe of those massive fingers against the wings’ fine coating of magic dust could spell disaster. Lissi could lose the ability to return to fairy form.

Pulse racing, I looked around for a guard bee or hornet. But everyone was back at the encampment, celebrating—where Lissi would’ve been had she not come after me. She was in trouble, and it was all my fault.

The girl laughed and made a grab, missing Lissi by a breath. The breeze from the child’s hand knocked the butterfly off course. Any moment she would be caged.

No, don’t do it. I swallowed the knot of stubborn pride in my throat and willed myself to change. My limbs stretched and thinned. A thick exterior covered my skin, and soon I perched on six feet. I let out a sharp whistle and sensed the grasshoppers of the land—the real grasshoppers—respond. Unfolding my wings, I gave a mighty push and soared through the air. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as my wings carried me straight for the girl. A great buzzing filled the air from a swarm of grasshoppers behind me.

The girl, hand outstretched, wide smile on her face, froze in mid-grasp. She screamed at the horde heading her way and covered her face. I swerved just as Lissi dropped out of sight into a rosebush.

The rest of the grasshoppers landed around me, ready to charge at my order. I pulled my feet under me and poised for another jump. The girl peeked over her hands with wide eyes, no traces of laughter left. My stomach tightened at her fear. That’s not what I wanted. I gave a light hop and landed in front of her.

She glanced down and lowered her hands. “It’s just a grasshopper?”

I shot into the air again, spinning circles in front of her. She giggled. “They fly like butterflies.”

A deeper voice called out and with one last smile, the girl skipped away.

Another sound reached my ears as I stood again on two fairy feet. A large bumblebee, four hornets following closely, buzzed over the grassy terrain.

Now they show up.

Lissi rose from the bush and joined them. They landed and changed shape. I swallowed as my king stood before me.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I knew I’d spoken well when the mentors asked for my recommendation.”

I let out a breath. “You suggested my placement?”

“You’re quick on your feet, able to blend into your surroundings, and a natural leader. I have full confidence in you as captain of my foot soldiers.”

“Captain!” I licked my lips and glanced down at the sash. The deep browns now came alive, swirling with creams and greens. The king saw me as a captain, not a plain bug.

He cocked his head, brow wrinkled. “Does this not suit you?”

I met Lissi’s twinkling eyes. Then I inhaled and settled the sash over my shoulder. “It suits me just fine, sir.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crystal Grant grew up LOVING books and stories and sometimes spent more time in her imaginary worlds than the real one. She spent fifteen years teaching first grade and shared her love of books with her students. Currently, she is writing curriculum and spends her spare time writing epic fantasy, watching old movies and TV shows, or reading books that sweep her away to another time and place.

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