The Cerebral Catalyst

The dragonflies circled one another, gold and orange flashing as transparent wings caught sunlight. The larger one blinked its huge eyes and passed the other, pausing briefly to hover, needlelike. The smaller nymph swung low to catch a midge, then darted away coquettishly.

Nine-year-old Lotte watched them, crouching behind the swing. When the dragonflies disappeared she leaned forward and cried. Beauty came and went quickly, and she knew, from Daddy's insect book, that the dragonflies would probably be dead in four months. She stood, wiping her eyes. Four months might seem like a long time to a dragonfly, she thought, like a hundred years seems to me. But that's not long really. And maybe they'll die sooner than four months. Maybe they'll go early, dying of cancer, like her pet turtle Yurtle, with a big lump on his skinny neck. The vet laughed when she asked if he could save him.

She walked slowly back to the house, sliding bare feet along the ground. As she passed the fresh grave, she stopped for a moment to remember the smooth green shell she laid into the shoebox. She licked her finger and tasted the dirt. It was bitter, and comforting.

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Magdalena Ball runs The Compulsive Reader. Her stories, editorials, poetry, reviews and articles have appeared in a wide number of printed anthologies, collaborations and journals, and have won many awards. She is the author of The Art of Assessment, and Quark Soup. Her novel Sleep Before Evening will be available from BeWrite Books early in 2007.

posted 02.19.07.

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Site founded May 7th, 2003, by Project Catalyst.
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