In order to make his escape, I believe he took advantage of a migration of
wild birds. On the morning of his departure, he put his planet in order. He
carefully raked out his active volcanoes. The little prince possessed two active
volcanoes, which were very convenient for warming, his breakfast.
He also possessed one extinct volcano. But, as he said, "You never know!"
So he raked out the extinct volcano, too. If they are properly raked out,
volcanoes burn gently and regularly, without eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are
like fires in a chimney.
Of course, on our Earth we are much too rake out our volcanoes. That is
why they so much trouble.
The little prince also uprooted, a little sadly last baobab shoots. He
believed he would never be coming back. But all these familiar tasks seemed
very sweet to him on this last morning. And when he watered the flower one last
time, and put her under glass, he felt like crying.
"Good-bye," he said to the flower.
But she did not answer him.
"Good-bye," he repeated.
The flower coughed. But not because she had a cold.
"I've been silly," she told him at last. "I ask your forgiveness. Try to be
happy."
He was surprised that there were no reproaches. He stood there, quite
bewildered, holding the glass bell in midair. He failed to understand this calm
sweetness.
"Of course I love you," the flower told him. "It was my fault you never
knew. It doesn't matter. But you were just as silly as I was. Try to be happy... Put
that glass thing down. I don't want it anymore."
"But the wind..."
"My cold isn't that bad..." The night air will do me good. I'm a flower."
"But the animals..."
"I need to put up with two or three caterpillars if I want to get to know the
butterflies. Apparently they're very beautiful. Otherwise who will visit me?
You'll be far away. As for the big animals, I'm not afraid of them. I have my own
claws." And she naively showed her four thorns.
Then she added, "Don't hang around like this; it's irritating. You made up
your mind to leave. Now go."
For she didn't want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower...
