The butterfly circles higher, leading the traveler toward a grove where the air vibrates with possibility. Every wingbeat seems a signal: follow curiosity, honor subtlety, trust the path unseen. The traveler hesitates, then steps forward, learning that courage is often quiet.
By mid-2023, Butterfly Jo had left the Texas hive — weary, perhaps wounded — and returned to North Carolina.
The Bee, now publicly visible after two years of silence, began to speak again, framing herself as Alan’s closest companion.To some, it sounded like an attempt at damage control — words chosen to mend the image, not the wound.
The traveler watched, neither condemning nor excusing.
Alan’s true companions, he knew, were those who acted from sincerity, not ownership.
And so the traveler wrote in the margins of his thoughts:
Ephesians 6:12
The path darkened for a time — but soon, another clearing awaited.