The pupa stage of the butterfly’s life cycle is a time for complete change.
The Third Stage: Pupa
I awake in my room, rousing from my vivid nightmare. My chest aches. I spring from my bed, the devil on my heels; there is only one place I need to go. Jude isn’t home, so I speed downtown. I need answers, and the only person who can give them to me is Jude.
I pull my car up by the curb, the quietness of the afternoon exactly what I need as I can’t deal with clatter today. Pop’s Hardware Store is small but stocked well. There is a single register up front which could have been updated about ten years ago. Looking around, I realize the same could be said for the entire store. A faded photograph hangs against the far wall, depicting a young man standing proudly in front of the same red sign w
