I was laying on the soft grass staring at the grey clouds. Today, one of the clouds looked like a horse. It’s mouth was opened, looking like it would make a weird horse sound, neaheahaheaha. “You’re such a weird horse I wonder who else caught you in the act maybe the birds?” I asked the horse,  laughing at the horse cloud. I looked at the rest of the clouds but none were as exciting as the horse. The sun was setting, its golden rays were moving across the grass, going toward my belly but only staying for a moment. The rays touched my face but my hat blocked it from my eyes. I decided to head back before Mom got mad. When I tried to get up my hand landed next to an ant pile_oops I forgot to feed them. I turn to my left getting my leftover PB&J. I was tearing off pieces laying them across my hand, palm facing up, now we wait.
Soon enough the little, red ant soldiers came out from the tiny hill, going down, passing by rocks and tall grasses to get to my hand. I start to get anxious of them getting on my hand, wondering if today one of them would sting me or if they still trust me. Once the first ant climbs on to check for safety the rest start to climb on. The little feet of the tiny guys make my hand ticklish, I try to steady my hand but the funny sensation is getting to me, my fingers are twitching and curling. The ants continue on with their mission, going towards any direction of my hand to get off to go back to the colony. Some go towards my palm, some go towards my fingers leaving my nerves to stir with wanting to scratch them, to stop the feeling of irritation but I want them to continue their mission. They’re almost all off my hand… “Clay come on we have to go what are you doing out… OH MY GOD CLAY YOU’RE COVERED IN ANTS,” surprised I see my mom getting the hose I flip myself over to protect the ant soldiers but Mom sprays the hose everywhere. The power of the hose causes me to be tumbled away from the pile but Mom continues to hosing the ant pile.
“Mom stop, you’re killing them please stop,” she doesn’t listen and now my ant buddies are gone. After turning off the hose mom grabs my hands and looks at them, “did they sting you?” she asks concerned.
“NO BUT YOU JUST KILLED THEM,” I yell at her, glaring.
“Clay please stop glaring I know you cared for the ants but they’re dangerous they’ll sting you and I don’t want you getting hurt!” I continue to glare, but my eyes start to water. “Come on Clay they’re probably fine, plus they’re smart so they’ll rebuild in no time,” Mom explained to me trying to actually sound like she cared but I knew she didn’t. I ran inside up to my room to get my stuff packed and ran right to the car putting my bag next to me in the back seat not caring for Mom and Dad. They later came in the car, Dad putting their stuff in the trunk and we drove right off to my uncle’s, they keep talking about how I’ll like staying with my uncle. Explaining to me how its been a long time since I’ve seen him, just talking about me but I didn’t want to hear the rest so I fell asleep.
I feel my body shaking, I open my eyes and see my mom, she lets go of my arms and speaks,”we’re here sweetie,” I stretch my arms into the air and my legs below hitting the car seat where dad was sitting.
“Clay I told you not to hit the seat now come on lets go meet your uncle,” Dad says to me, dragging me out of the car with my bag in hand. We knock on the wooden door, waiting for my uncle. After a while Mom got impatient and knocks louder, still no answer. She gets out her cellphone and press some things and puts its to her ear.
“Where are you, we’ve been waiting here for forever!” Mom says to the phone, waiting for my uncle’s response, “really you’re behind there fine we’re coming,” mom hangs up and lets out a sigh. “Well he’s in the backyard, doing something, come on lets go,” mom says and walks towards a wooden gate and we follow after her. When I went inside its so cool theres this huge tree with a treehouse with stairs on the tree and underneath the tree there’s a swing theres some fruit trees, and the grass is so green, theres lots of plants and theres a patio with a table with chairs around it and then I spot my uncle digging up a hole with a dog helping him dig another hole. He’s the same he’s got a dirty t-shirt on with some pants and a scruffy beard and slick back hair he looks like a hobo to me. He notices us and drops the shovel, walking right over to us and the dog follows after running at me. I fall to the ground with the dog licking me and then he stops and just sits on my lap. He’s huge and really heavy, this weird dog causes my mom yell at the dog to get off me but he ignores her.
“Hey guys, sorry about that I was just digging a hole for something and don’t worry if he sits on you it means you’re his friend now,” he takes his gloves off and shakes my dad’s hand and hugs my mom. “So how long do you want me to take care of the little guy,” Uncle Dan asks them.
“Just for a month and thank you for doing this….”dad says then looks at his watch, “sorry Dan we got to go we don’t want to stay long its a long trip there by car,” Dad says giving me a wave goodbye and Mom getting on her knees and giving me a hug. I hug her back and she lets go to look up at my uncle, “Dan please take care of him and please don’t make him any weirder than he already is,” and those were her goodbyes. I stood there for awhile thinking and then my stomach growled. I turn to my belly rubbing it, I’m hungry and saw Uncle Dan looking at his belly and it started growling too.
“I think they’re telling us something,  you want to try my cooking I promise it’s just as good as your mom’s,” he asked and I shook my head. Uncle Dan lead me to the kitchen and said to sit down while the dog follows and seats up next to a bowl with his name, ‘Butters’, what a funny name. He brought in lasagna giving all of us a huge chuck, even Butters, it was really, really good. He tells me it was Grandma’s recipe, “do you remember her you used to love to come over with us to play with us and cook with us,” he told me but I shrug my shoulders I don’t remember I was really small. “Its ok…..now are you all full and ready for bed,” I nodded my head, so did Butters, Uncle Dan grabbed our plates and put them in the sink. “Ok Clay lets go pick your room,” we went upstairs and I chose the one next to the bathroom. He told me to get a bath because no stinky kids were allowed in the house, after the bath I got in my pjs and got on the bed. I heard a knock on the door, “Come in Uncle Dan.” He comes in with Butters, giving me a hug and Butters giving me a lick to the cheek.
“Clay if you need anything just come into my room it next to yours, now good night buddy,” he said and left closing the door. I turn to Butters who chose to stay with me.
“I like Uncle Dan he’s way cooler than my dad and he cares more for me than mom does,” Butters just wagged his tail and found a stop next to my feet, we fell asleep right after that.
The next morning I got up by Uncle Dan shaking me awake, “wake up soldier or you won’t get breakfast,” he tells me in this army voice and I laugh at him getting up and following him, imitating him walking in the army march. We ate scrambled eggs with sausages and some orange juice, “Hey Clay I got work do you want to come and watch what I do or do you want to be babysat by Butters,” uncle Dan asked me and I thought about it hard. I want to see where he works.
“I want to go,” I say, we head off on the road with Butters in ride too. “Uncle Dan what do you do?” I asked wondering, maybe he is a hobo, going around doing easy jobs.
“I’m a landscape architect, I design lawns, gardens and other plant stuff, you’ll see how awesome the stuff I make,” he says with a big smile and Butters starts howling outside the open window. We arrive at this building we go up and Uncle Dan shows me the drawings of the stuff he’s done and then he takes me to see his work in person. It was so incredible, all day we went to see his other work and he even let me put in some designs. I thought up the idea to make some of the brushes to look like bugs, the owner of the property said it would look amazing, he was a bug-lover too. “So was it awesome?” I couldn’t hold my voice I kept talking and talking it was so cool. I wish my parents would take me to where they work and let me give advice. Then I thought about my parents and told Uncle Dan how I felt.
“Uncle Dan, I know my parents hate taking me to trips because I’m weird. The boys in my neighborhood tell their parents that I’ve been eating bugs, put snails in my underwears….” I keep telling Uncle Dan crying with snot coming down my nose. “Mom thinks I’m a weirdo, she doesn’t believe me I like playing with bugs instead of other kids and I spend my whole time in the backyard with the ant pile or gather the snails to hold a snail race. Its just I don’t trust people much; they’re liars, never keeping their promises, especially grown ups and bugs aren’t like that they don’t lie,” I told Uncle Dan and we already arrived at the house by the time I was finished talking. He pulls me out of the car and takes me to the backyards. He tells me to sit down on a porch chair and watch Butters. Butters is laying on the grass next to a big rock until he sees a butterfly. The butterfly goes above him and out of nowhere Butters jumps up, I hear my Uncle call out, “Butters...fly,” Butters catches the butterfly in his mouth and I’m shocked that Butters eats it. But I then see Butters letting the butterfly go and it flys away. Butters then turns to us and walks over to Uncle Dan, “Butters here loves bugs too, he doesn’t understand them but he still plays with them. Not only does he play with them but he tries to be careful where he steps so he doesn’t crush them. Now think about human, we don’t understand people all the time but we try to relate with them by being careful where we step and playing with them to get to know each other. Those kids that make jokes and bully you they do it because thats the only place they know how to step into, why…” he turns to me waiting for my answer, I shrug my shoulders not knowing what to say. “Because you don't play with them sure they might make a joke or two but they do it so they can be able to interact with you. They don’t understand you either do you but if you try you could be friends. Its the same with your parents.Your parents they do love you but they don’t know where to step, so step for them first.” Uncle Dan hugs me tight. We talked more about things and ate some delicious food.
During the whole time Uncle Dan took me to his work and I learn a lot of things. Once the day came for my parents to pick me up, I was ready to tell them everything. The doorbell rang and I ran to the door open it and hugged my parents. I told them everything of how I was feeling and how I was being teased for being different. They hugged me tight and we went home but not until I said to Uncle Dan thank you and I saw Butters chasing after some butterfly again. I going to go talk with those kids again who knows maybe they can like bugs too.