On the matter of importance…

Day broke over the garden. Sunshine warmed the soil and fell on all the creatures gathered there.

            Bee buzzed, “The flowers and beauty of the garden are the result of my pollination.”

            “Beg pardon.” Came Worm’s voice from down in the dirt. “Without my burrows loosening the soil and my castings as plant fertilizer, pollination wouldn’t matter.”

            “Excuse me, but I catch and eat pests that can catch and eat both of you.” Spider said. “And have you not noticed the works of art I’ve spun? Look at how the dew sparkles on the fine silken threads of my web.”

            Caterpillar inched closer upon the leaf. “Do you not see my vibrant stripes?” Despite worm’s poo as necessary to grow the plants that caterpillar needed to survive, caterpillar couldn’t get over worm’s ugliness. Spider’s web would never be equal to the beauty that was to become caterpillar in butterfly form. “Comparisons will be made to my beauty when I transform to butterfly. No one can boast such change. Plus I’m also destined to be a pollinator.”

            Beetle went about the business of breaking down waste to keep the garden tidy. No one usually spoke to beetle or others of beetle kind.

            Skunk rooted around at the edge of the daisies and gobbled up beetle and worm. Skunk smacked its lips and ate spider next. Moving along, bee and caterpillar were treated with the same relish skunk had shown beetle, worm, and spider.

            The sun shone brightly over the garden.