The following morning Mr. Wogglebug went out shortly after breakfast with the beetle princess as they ventured out into the Insect Kingdom for her royal errands.
"So did you find anything of value to your knowledge in the library last night?" Wagneria asked him as they walked alongside each other.
"All I found is that this thing called religion just seems to do so much more harm than good to everything and everyone," he sighed.
"I quite agree," said Wagneria. "I mean, there are always unfortunate things happening all around, and often by accident it seems, and to insects that are really good and loyal and do not deserve the misfortunes that fate caused them. There is death, injury, and sickness, just as much as there is, love, joy,and beauty to our lives, and I just do not find the myth of an omnipotent giant being in charge of it all to be something I can believe in, at least not anymore."
"And," Mr. Wogglebug added, "in spite of what Windsor told me, I still fail to see a good cause for a war and I'd like to prevent it."
"It will not be easy to do so, I'm afraid," said Wagneria. "For I believe the day that all insects will agree not to be divided by religions will be the day when some physical proof is found that the religions are all falsely founded upon."
"Well," said Mr. Wogglebug, "There could be such evidence concealed somewhere in the Kingdom, if we'd just know where to look for it. Where are we first going on these royal errands of yours, by the way?"
"First we are headed to a hospital for the sick and wounded insects. I am told I have the ability to provide comfort to them there," Wagneria replied.
"I'm quite sure you really do," Mr. Wogglebug told her sincerely.
So they went to the hospital which was a large white stone structure surrounded by tall grass and trees. They were then admitted cordially in by an attendant who was a centipede and who showed them into the rooms where the patients were kept.
"You will find that many of the attendants in this place are centipedes," Wagneria told Mr. Wogglebug. "As they have a lot of time on their hands to do a lot."
"So I should imagine," he replied.
The first room they went into they found there was a big dark gray spider curled up on an octagon shaped white bed with its head in its arms and clearly crying its eyes out.
This was a very pitiful thing to see for Mr. Wogglebug and the beetle princess.
"I say, why are you crying spider? What is the matter?" he asked softly.
The spider lifted its head from in-between its limbs. "Matter enough!" it wailed. "I've only got seven limbs now as opposed to the eight of every other spider! Just look at me!" It showed its long wiry limbs and sure enough there were seven visible legs and there was clear cut where the eighth one had somehow been broken off.
"How did this unfortunate thing come about?" Mr. Wogglebug asked sympathetically.
"It was terribly painful!" the spider wailed, sobbing even harder. "I saw something had been caught in my web and I wanted to take it out and the harder I tried the more entangled it became and I ended up twisted myself up in my own web so badly I couldn't even free myself. I had to wait for hours before a butterfly cam along and pulled me free, and then my eighth leg had become so twisted and stuck in the sticky threads it was pulled right out of its place! It was horrible! Now I am no longer I spider, I am a freak!"
The wails of the poor unfortunate spider deeply affected Mr. Wogglebug's tender heart and he felt so sorry for him he could hardly hold back his own tears. His mind raced thinking of some way to comfort him, and then an idea came to him.
"There there, spider. Calm yourself for I have an idea," he said in a kindly tone. "Now I'm afraid there is no way to regenerate your missing limb but we can substitute it."
"I know my leg will never grow back!" the spider howled. "I have prayed and prayed for the Invisible Sky Giant to regenerate my leg but nothing ever happens. I do not understand why, I mean when worms lose their tails they quickly grow back but they are the only ones and I have been forsaken!"
"If you attach something like a wooden stick to where your missing leg used to be it will serve as a crutch to help you move along."
"Well, it won't be the same. But I suppose it will work once I've got used to it," said the spider calming down.
They then bid farewell to the somewhat less miserable spider and left the room and went with a nurse into another room.
"The spider isn't much better off than before we met him, but at least he does have something to keep him up," said the beetle princess.
"It's like I've learned through my years, when life spites you you'll just have to respite it," said Mr. Wogglebug
"You have excellent philosophy, though it looks like there will be a lot more spiders losing their limbs in the war, as well as a lot of other unfortunate insects," said the princess reflecting sadly.
The next room they went into they found there were some flies who had damaged, ripped, or broken wings. As Wagneria went up to each one of them and gave them some sugar that would numb their pain and possibly speed their recovery, Mr. Wogglebug gave them reassurance.
"You will all be able to fly again sometime soon if you really have the will to do so," he told them. "And if by chance you still won't be able to fly after you've healed you will still be very good flies and can still lead useful lives. It's like an old rhyme from where I come from. It's actually about a spider, but I suppose it could apply to you as well."
"A spider went up a water spout
Down came the rain and washed him out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And he went up the spout again."
"So, you see, when fate washes you out, you just have to wait until the sun comes out and then go back to where you started."
The next room they went into they found there were some fireflies who had had their lights burned out.
"I suppose I just overused my light," said one firefly dejectedly. "My mother had always warned me about that but I never listened. Now I'm just half of what I used to be."
"But the doctors are going to reignite your light for you, aren't they?" asked Wagneria sympathetically.
"Well, they said it was a fifty, fifty chance that their treatments for me will work, and also that I might end up with a different colored light than the one I had before, so then I'll be an outcast from my fellows," the firefly wailed.
"There there," said Mr. Wogglebug soothingly. "It doesn't matter what color your light is, just that you have a light. And I don't mean only a physical light, but really a light that is inside of your heart. That is the kind of light that can never burn out and will shine bright no matter what happens to you. If you just believe that you can light it up whenever you want to."
The firefly smiled through his tears now and said, "I promise to always have the light in my heart on."
Mr. Wogglebug and Wagneria continued making their calls in room of ailing insects, giving them little things for treatments and words and stories of hope. Then the last room that they went in they found there was a family of beetles who were all gathered around a small bed of a very young beetle who they were told didn't have much time left.
They went up to the bed and Wagneria stroked his head and rubbed his face. Mr. Wogglebug looked at all the despondent faces around him of the young beetle's family, and at the beetle princess who had tears forming in her eyes now. He found himself suddenly wishing he could put an end to all this suffering and sadness and make the day turn bright for them all. He began to think about what he could do, and an idea came to him. It seemed a long shot of hope but it was worth the try he decided.
He reached into his green suitcase while mentally telling it what he wanted out of it and took out one of his rainbow crystal bubbles, an indigo colored one.
"I have a theory," he said to everyone. "Just a theory, mind you, that this rainbow crystal which is the color of indigo for healing will cure the child's illness if he swallows it with water."
So Wagneria held the young beetle's head up while Mr. Wogglebug placed the indigo crystal bubble into his mouth and then took the glass of water on his nightstand and held it as he took a drink from it.
Then suddenly a soft indigo light began to emanate from the little beetle's body and then when it faded out his eyes opened and he smiled and exclaimed to his family,
"I''m well again!"
There was then much hugging and kissing and rejoicing amongst the beetle family. Wagneria then took Mr. Wogglebug aside and whispered in awe, "How did you figure that would heal him?"
"I... just thought of it... and decided to try it. Because the crystal rainbow bubbles were made to make a healing rainbow and indigo is a vitally powerful color for healing." he explained.
"Well, I have to admit it was a very wise thing to think of," said Wagneria. "You truly are very wonderful as you said you were."
They then left the hospital and next they went to a schoolhouse where young insects of nearly every variety was taught.
"I am a guest speaker on the subject of the free thought and free will," Wagneria explained. "You may join in if you wish."
So they entered the classroom and were welcomed and introduced by the teacher who was a cockroach.
"Children," she said, "This is the beetle princess Wagneria, and Mr. H.M. Wogglebug T.E. who is a visitor to us from the Land of Oz. They are here to tell you about the benefits of free thought and free will."
They then stood in front of the blackboard at the head of the room and the beetle princess began her speech.
"You are all of you born with whole brains that are capable of thinking clearly and freely and solving problems. And I want you all to always remember to think for yourselves about how we all know the things that we know. For instance, one of you may know another thing and another may know another thing which the other doesn't know so that knowledge is evenly spread amongst you. And also, one of you may believe one thing to be true and another of you may believe it not to be true and for another thing to be true instead."
"Well, how are we to know what is true and what isn't?" asked one little ant.
"One good reason to believe something about something is the evidence for it," said Mr. Wogglebug. "There are also bad reasons for believing some things. One is tradition, to believe something because everyone believes it because it's been handed down for generations. The trouble with tradition is that no matter how long ago a story was made up it is still exactly as true or untrue as the original story was. Another bad reason is authority, to believe something just because your parents do or your teachers do. And lastly, a bad reason is to believe something just because it feels good to believe it. And next time somebody tells you something is true, ask them what kind of evidence is there for it. And if they can't give you a good answer, I hope you'll think very carefully before you believe a word they say."
"One thing you must believe is that you are all very good inside and never let anyone tell you otherwise," added the beetle princess. "And never let anyone or anything discourage you from living your dreams till they are fulfilled. Dreams are always worth having and you will always be responsible for your own actions, no matter what anyone says. You also must never believe in anything that just doesn't seem right to you, and only you can decide for for yourselves what it is you want to believe in and no one is good enough to govern you without your consent."
"I only want for you to believe that you can be anything you want to be, and of course to always be kind to each other for everyone should have a good life, especially in this age," Mr. Wogglebug concluded.
They then were asked and answered some questions from some of the students and then the teacher thanked them for their time and they went on their way.
"I really liked how you picked up after me in their, and your sayings, particularly the last one were beautiful," Wagneria said to Mr. Wogglebug.
"I really do adore all children," Mr. Wogglebug said. "They are the reason why I am the educator of Oz, and I cannot imagine ever telling a falsehood to them."
"I suppose everyone just thinks up things for religion because they are in need of knowing why the world is as it is and why they are in it," said the princess.
"So am I!" he said. "When I don't have the answer to something I welcome my students to find it out for themselves, after all the world does hold many secrets."
"Well, for now we should be heading back to the castle," said Wagneria. "Tonight there is a concert I must attend with Windsor and you will be welcome to accompany us if you wish."
"Why, thank you, I think I might," he said.