I brushed my pretty feelers and looked at the creature my brother had caught. Yuk. He wanted to marry her, the idiot! How could he possibly be attracted to her? She had no feelers at all! And only two legs! She looked like a human—the worst! Horrible!

All the lady cockchafers were of the same opinion. What could he possibly be thinking catching this creature and feeding her nectar?

I am so relieved that he let her go. I don’t know what we would have done with her. Carry her around? On our backs? With our delicate wings?

A Lady Cockchafer in Thumbelina, Hans Christian Andersen. Vintage illustration.