Why Ladybugs Have Spots

A Fiction Story


Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, ladybugs ruled an area of the forest. They lived in many trees, and plants, but most of them lived in the capital tree called Bug City. It was a marvelous city, full of beautiful trees, all sorts of wild flowers, and all kinds of wild berries! However, ladybugs as we know them to be today aren’t what they were back in that day; they were simple, red, and didn’t have any spots. That all changed when the challenge for the princess started.

The king of Bug City, most often referred to as ‘Kingbug’, said that he had a challenge for all of the manbugs who thought they were worthy enough for his daughter, the princess of Bug City, Princess Ladybug. However, those manbugs would have to prove themselves by showing that they were able to do anything to protect his daughter. Also, he must prove himself in such a manner that so that she would want to marry him.

The challenge wasn’t so simple; it went like this: swim across the dreaded swamp, and make it back alive. Being dripping wet would not be enough to prove they had swum the entire course; the challenger must also take a picture from both sides of The Swamp.

It was a well known fact that no bug had ever gone into The Swamp and ever came back alive! There were vicious bugs, ferocious spiders, terrifying birds, bug-eating frogs, aggressive fish, and so many other dangerous insects and mammals around that The Swamp was incredibly dangerous just to near it, let alone into it! Our story starts when the departure of the manbugs takes place!

“If any of you make it back alive, then you have a chance to marry my daughter!” the Kingbug said. “Enough talk, begin!”

We all took off will cameras in hand; all ten of us! Many names I did not know, but some I did. There was Buggy, of course, a well known person in the capital. Then there was Buggly, but most of the people around here called him the ‘Bugster’.

It is stupid if you asked me, everybug, except for me, thinks you can add a ‘–ster’ to anything and it is cool; ‘Coolster’, ‘Hipster’, it’s all overrated if you ask me! The other day, he was showing off his running skill, and they called him the ‘Master’; but how can you run fast if you have so much mass? I even overheard somebody call him ‘Mister’ once; how can you overlook such a large guy and miss him? If he is really a ‘Master’ and a ‘Mister’ like people say, how can people overlook this large bug? As I said before: it doesn’t make any sense to me!

That was all of the bugs I knew; just Buggy, The Bugster, and me. My name is Buggly, and I’m going to win this challenge because I want the princess; and also, I’m sure that she would want me!

We started down the big long hill after leaving town, the celebration sounds fading as we continued toward the pond at the bottom of the hill. The Bugster, of course, was still showing off as he ran past everyone into first! I felt bad for Buggy, because he tripped, and broke his camera! He decided to run back and get a new one. If he didn’t make it back, there were only nine of us now; if he did make it back in time somehow, then there were still all ten bugs. Sadly, though, the number was about to become fewer!

The trees were becoming thicker, the bushes denser, as the pond was only feet way! Suddenly, two bugs came to a complete stop, and started to go crazy in midair! I came to a stop, and looked up to see a spider coming down toward them; I had literally just missed a big spider web! Going around it carefully, I kept on going, thankful now to be in the back of the pack!

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!

That was the seven of the remaining bugs jumping into the water. I jumped in as one of them, and started to pass some people. I didn’t want to be in the back for whatever follows the pack! We continued to swim for a while. I stopped swimming and looked up to see we were about halfway. I continued to swim again.

The water was smooth, and calm for the most part. Now though, it was starting to get rougher, more wavy, and harder to swim. I looked up again, and to my amazement, there were piranhas jumping in and out of the water, eating us bugs!

Finally, we made it across The Swamp. Running up on shore, I realized I was now in the back of the pack. Looking around, I realized that The Bugster wasn’t one of the four remaining; seven went into the water, and only four came out. I pulled out my camera, took a snapshot, of the city on the other end of The Swamp, and took off toward the pond!

Smack! Crunch, snap!

“Ouch,” I said, “That hurt.” Getting up, I realized that I had tripped, broke the camera, and was trampled on by everyone else as they were going to The Swamp. I looked at my destroyed camera, and shattered remains of my proof. The card inside was snapped in two, and now I had no proof that I had made it across The Swamp. Looking back up, I saw a bug swimming toward me. Coming up on shore, I saw that it was Buggy, and that he had made it back. Some reason it struck me funny that he makes it overhear alive by himself when many were killed as a group coming over here!

“Did your camera break, too?” Buggy said.

“Yes, it did,” I replied.

“Do you want me to take a second picture from a different angle for you?”

I looked up at him. “Would you do that from me; after all, I am your competition?”

“I’d be glad too!” He took his camera, and took two pictures from different spots of the swamp. “I’ll get you a copy of it the second we get into town!”

“Thanks, that means a lot to me!” I told him. He nodded, and we took off together again; the other three being out there. I happened to catch a frog nabbing a manbug up ahead. Now, though, I couldn’t see anymore, because I was in the water. The trip back didn’t seem to take as long, but we ended up both on the other shoreline alive and well.

I could now see all the manbugs, and noticed that there were only four of us. One more was gone, but where could…

Suddenly, Buggy was picked up into the air, and was flying away! “Buggly,” he shouted, “take my camera, and keep going!” His voice was fading, and he dropped the camera. I got underneath it, and caught it! I could barely here his voice, like a soft whisper, but the wind was starting to kick up, so it may have just been that! Feeling sorry for Buggy, I took off and kept going!

I hurried and counted the number of bugs left, as I continued to catch up. One, two, three, four; there was four. “Wait!” I said aloud, not meaning to. One, two, three, four; there were four bugs. Buggy was gone now, and he was one I counted before, how could…

“Bugster,” I said aloud again. That cheater, that impostor! He had only jumped into the water, and got out! That was the only way he could have jumped in front of me and not appeared on the other shoreline, but still show up now!

He came straight for me, and talked me! He rolled around, and punched, and kicked; his large bottom crunching me as he rolled on top of me. “You can’t win! I must be the one to win the princess!” He got up, grabbed my camera, and then threw it at me! As some of the pain started to go away, I could hear footsteps leaving.

I sat up, and looked at myself. My back was bleeding in some random spots, and formed circular shapes. Dirt was everywhere on me; my blood was blackish-red because of all the dirt inside of the cuts! Grabbing the remains of my camera, I took off toward the town center. Upon arrival, I noticed that I was the forth bug to make it back, and would be the last bug returning back. Looking closer, I noticed something.

“Next!” I hear someone call out. I look forward, and notice there is a bug standing there a printing machine. “May I see your camera’s card, please?” I walk forward, looking back at the bugs ahead of this bouncer. They’re in a line of some sort, with The Bugster looking in front, looking overjoyed! I grab the back of my camera, and open up the card slot cover. I look into the empty container, and then at the bouncer. He looks at me, and I then look at The Bugster. He chuckled a little, and I look back at the bouncer. “Do you have your pictures?” he asked me.

“The Bugster stole them from me,” I whispered.

“What? Talk louder, sonny!”

“The Bugster is a cheating liar! He stole MY pictures, and he claims them for himself to win the princess because he was too afraid to go on this quest! He is fooling you all, and you guys believe it!” I screamed! I stared at him, and he stared back. Not a smile, not a simple grin. It was just a death stare and a good one too.

“Can you prove it, sir?” the bouncer questioned.

“Yes. How do you explain all of the dirt you’re covered in?” I asked The Bugster.

“I went on an adventure, of course. You can’t expect me to go on an adventure and not get dirty.”

“Oh, I see.” I shook my head. “Then how do you explain the blood stained circle marks on you back?”

“There were fish, you know; piranha fish. They tend to be a little bloody here and there, and one must have bumped into me, leaving these circular marks.” He stared at me.

“Why then, are they all the same distance apart, just like my back is?” I stared back.

He sat there for a second, and there said, “Mere coincidence, I guess. Surly you can’t pin a mere coincidence against me!”

“It’s no coincidence when you sit upon my bleeding back like you did! Of chores it would be a coincidence that way!” I remarked, sarcastic.

Finally the bouncer shouted, “Enough! If your blood stains are in the exact locations as his back, then you, sir,” he said, pointing at The Bugster, “are out of the competition!” He walked over to him, and pulled him over to me. I turned around, and they forced him around too. Then they put us next to each other, and stared at us.

“Bugster,” the bouncer said, “you are out of the competition, and are hereby banished from Bug City as punishment for you cheating ways!” Glumly, The Bugster turned around, and walked away. “You, sir,” he said, turning to me now, “are allowed to use his proof and his pictures, sense they are yours anyways.”

“Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me.” Just then the princess walked out. She looked at us all, and then came up to me.

“You are the one I would like to marry; you do look like you have worked the hardest, ran the fastest, and fought the hardest for me. That shows me you are a good person.” She places a kiss on my cheek, and I blush a little. “However, I’m sure you feel out of place a little. You have spots, and we don’t. I will help you out with this problem. At our wedding, we will all paint ourselves, and put black spots on our back! But we’ll worry about that later; for now, let us celebrate!”

Celebrate they did! And they did it well too. The whole town celebrated, including the other consistence! Bugley had won the princesses’ heart, and an evil bug had been banished away! Within a few generations, it would turn out that all of the bugs would have black marks on their back, just like many people wear makeup; it would just be normal to honor the new king, and his heroic actions that he did! They would soon all have spots on their backs!