The Butterfly’s Escape
The rain poured down in heavy sheets as Rob pulled his young son Sam through the darkened streets. Their boots splashed through growing puddles, kicking up murky water with each hurried step.
“Hurry lad, we can’t let them catch us,” Rob panted, glancing back into the gloom. Somewhere out there, hidden by the storm, were their pursuers — former comrades now turned enemies.
Rob had made a grave mistake in thinking he could simply walk away from the Thieves Guild. Once you were in, there was no leaving. Too many secrets were at stake. But he had to try, for Sam’s sake. The life of a thief was no life for a boy.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the terror on Sam’s rain-soaked face. Though only eight years old, he understood all too well the danger nipping at their heels. His small hand gripped Rob’s tighter still as they splashed down another alley.
Ahead loomed the darkened shell of the Old Hog’s Head pub. All the windows were boarded, the door hanging crooked on rusty hinges. It was as good a hiding place as any in this storm. Rob shoved Sam inside ahead of him, then followed, pulling the door shut behind.
In the flash of the next lightning strike, Rob saw they were not alone. A figure stood in the shadows, and Sam let out a gasp. But then a kindly, weathered face emerged from the gloom.
“You’ll find no harm here,” spoke the woman. “Come, let me hide you from the storm.”
Once inside, Rob was able to see the woman more clearly. She seemed as if stepped from the pages of a fairy tale.
“Thank you, miss,” Rob panted, still out of breath from the chase. He leaned against the damp wall, one hand on his knee as he fought to catch his breath. Sam clung to his leg, eyes wide and fearful in the dim light.
The woman’s features were soft yet weathered, like the aging wood of this old tavern. Silver streaked her auburn hair which was pulled back simply, yet a kind of inner light shone from her eyes. Rob had the strange sense that, for all her plain dress and surroundings, this was no ordinary woman who had taken them in.
“I am in your debt,” Rob gasped, finally straightening. “My boy and I would not have outrun them much further in this storm. You have my gratitude for aiding us.”
She smiled gently. “There is no debt between those seeking refuge from the storm. Come, let me build you a fire and fetch you something warm to drink. A tale, perhaps, of how you’ve come to find shelter in this old place on such a night.”
Her manner was calm yet curious. Rob knew not whether to trust this stranger, yet saw no malice in her eyes. For now, they were in her hands.
As Rob drew near the woman, he caught her beautiful scent of lavender that seemed to rise from within. “This is my son Sam, and I am Rob,” he said with a gentle smile, hoping to put her at ease. He sighed, “We flee from the thieves’ guild, though I know not if escape is possible.”
The woman studied Rob long and searching, as if deciding whether to take him at his word. “My name is Josefina,” she replied at last. “Though once, long ago, I went by another. Jose was my name in days past.”
Rob felt surprise at her words. She laughed softly, “Aye, I was once a man as well. But to break free of the guild, I too had to disappear — and so Josefina I became, and in peace I’ve lived ever since.”
Josefina took Rob’s hands in her own, skin soft yet bearing scars of years. “Have hope, my friend. Ways exist to outwit even the guild, if you but have courage and care not what form freedom comes in. Your plight reminds me of my own, so long ago. Let me help you as another once helped me.”
Her eyes held such kindness and understanding that Rob found himself opening his heart, and hoping that with Josefina’s aid, he and Sam might truly escape the shadows on their heels and find safety in this storm-drenched night.
Rob glanced down to see that young Sam had finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the night’s terror and trials. He looked back to Josefina, still amazed that her gentle visage had once been that of a man.
“Please, tell me more,” Rob implored her softly. “How did you escape? I am desperate to protect my boy from the guild’s clutches, yet see no way out. We have run so far but I fear it gains us only moments.”
Josefina nodded slowly, eyes distant as memories long buried rose to the surface. “It is no easy path, but one that offers hope where before seemed none. I knew I could never be free as Jose — the guild’s reach is long. So I hid what I was and became who you see instead.”
She smiled sadly. “It was not without cost. To live as a woman under their rule invites different dangers than as a man. But within these walls, I have found a life of peace that Jose never could.”
Her gaze returned to Rob’s face, bright once more with purpose. “There may be a way for you, if you are willing. The storm still rages without, but come the morning, I will send word to trusted friends. With their aid and some artful disguise, I believe we can help you vanish as I once did.”
Rob’s heart swelled with gratitude and a glimmer of hope rekindled. “Anything,” he replied. “For Sam’s sake, I will do anything.”
The next day, under cover of shadows, Josefina led Rob and the still-sleeping Sam to a small house tucked away down winding alleys. She knocked softly and an elderly woman opened the door.
“Madame Truli, this is Rob,” Josefina said with a smile. Rob swallowed hard, feeling the authority that seemed to emanate from this Madame Truli like an invisible aura. Though aged, her features still held a beauty and poise that spoke of long experience.
Truli’s keen eyes studied Rob up and down in a way that made him feel utterly exposed yet somehow understood. “So this is the man seeking to slip the guild’s leash, is it?” she said finally, voice smooth as silk.
Josefina nodded. “What say you, Mistress? Is it possible?”
Truli stepped back to let them enter, gesturing for Rob to lay the sleeping Sam on a worn but cozy couch. She circled him slowly, appraising, as Rob tried to stand still under her gaze though his heart pounded.
At last she smiled, a flash of teeth like a wolf seeing weakness in its prey. “All things are possible, my dear, for one who knows the human form and face as I. If our friend is willing, by week’s end even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.
Rob found himself returning her smile, hope and gratitude warring within. “I am in your hands, Madame. Please, help us vanish.”
With Josefina and Madame Truli’s help, Rob’s transformation began in earnest. The first days were intensely difficult, as Madame Truli was exacting in her lessons — how to walk, hold oneself, affect the subtle mannerisms of womanhood.
More than once Rob came close to giving up, the unfamiliar body feeling like a prison. But then he would see little Sam’s face, and his resolve would return in a flash.
One moment alone with Josefina, Rob asked in his new, feminine voice, “Was it thus for you as well?”
Josefina smiled knowingly. “The body rebels at first against what it has known its whole life. I won’t lie — the struggle was fierce. Many nights I wept, missing the man I once was. But each day it became easier. Before long, Josefina felt more myself than Jose ever did.”
She took Rob’s hand gently. “Have faith. Your love for your son gives you strength Madame Truli and I cannot. In time, Robina will flow as naturally as breathing. And one day you may find she suits you better than you knew.”
Rob hoped with all his heart it would be so. Each small victory — a step less clumsy, a word in a higher register — gave hope this ordeal would birth the freedom they so desperately needed. For Sam’s sake, he had to believe.
By week’s end, Rob walked and spoke as a woman. He had mastered styling his hair and applying cosmetics skillfully. Madame Truli had provided a whole new wardrobe, teaching how a lady should dress for any occasion.
Now Rob sat before the vanity mirror, taking a last look before the final transformation would be complete. He sighed softly, gazing at the reflection that was both familiar and not. Slowly, with delicate fingers, Rob fastened the small pearl earrings Madame had given.
The gentle weight of them was still an unfamiliar feeling, yet not unpleasant. Rob turned his head slowly from side to side, noticing how the pearls caught the light and swayed softly with even the subtlest movement. A small smile touched his lips, recognizing some beauty in this feminine adornment he never would have before.
Rising, Rob smoothed the fine fabric of the gown — deep purple, bringing out shades in his auburn hair. He had to admit a kind of grace in how it moved around his newly curved form. At the door, little Sam waited with Josefina and Madame Truli, eyes wide with wonder.
“Come, let them see the new you,” Josefina said gently. Rob took a deep, steadying breath…and opened the door as Robina.
As Robina emerged, she went to Madame Truli and took her hands, kissing them softly. “Thank you, Mistress,” Robina said, tears shining in her eyes. “For giving me the chance at a new life, free from the guild’s reach.”
Truli cupped Robina’s face tenderly between her aged yet skillful hands. “You are beautiful, my dear Robina,” she whispered. “And I am proud to see what love for one’s child can drive a person to achieve, against all odds. You have become the woman you needed to be.”
Little Sam stared up at his father, now mother, in wonder. “Mama?” he said tentatively, as if testing how the new word felt.
Robina knelt and opened her arms. “Yes, my darling. It is me, your mama.” Sam flew into her embrace and she held him close, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks. Over his head she met Josefina’s eyes, seeing her own journey’s end reflected there.
Madame Truli smiled, eyes gleaming. “Now the true work begins. You must vanish into the shadows of this city as completely as if you had never been. But you will not go alone.” She turned and called into the house, “Iris! Bring the papers!”
A young girl appeared bearing official documents. “You now have new names and histories. Go forth, and live freely as the woman Robina and Samuel, mother and son. May you find safety and joy together.”
Robina’s heart swelled near to bursting. At last, a future — and for Sam, a childhood free from fear. All because of these two women who had transformed their lives. “I can never repay this gift. But I will strive each day to honor it,” she vowed.