Bye, Col. Douglas!

One morning, while i was tending my mini garden i saw a brown caterpillar feasting on a leaf. I called my son right away as it might interest him. He asked if he could take care of the caterpillar so we took the brown worm and placed it in a little container filled with so many leaves. My son then named the caterpillar Col. Douglas. He was so enthralled with his new found pet that he kept Col. Douglas beside him the whole day, checking the tiny worm every now and then and very much in awe everytime he sees Col. Douglas munching on leaves and pooping.
It was kind of charming to see my son very enthusiastic with something, like the worm. It made him very much occupied for the day. Adding to that, i have seen his respect with other life forms that even for the tiny worm, he took time to give it a name. Sleeping time came, he is worried that ants might attack the defenseless Col. Douglas. He felt that he needs to find the right spot to place Col. Douglas throughout the night. Morning came, he greeted his pet. Then he went to school. When he came back from school, he found the container empty. Col. Douglas was gone. He felt sad for awhile, then convinced himself that maybe Col. Douglas is about to become pupa thus the need to leave. Maybe i should get my son a real pet soon. Being an only child can really become so boring, i think he needs to have an outlet like a pet where he can practice being responsible.