The Bravest Fly

by Lindsay Comer

Whoosh! And once again I have avoided the no-wings attack. For all their lumbering size they are no match for my speed and agility.

I dart left.

I dart right.

Round and round the indoor sun.

Round and round the no-wings.

Five points for avoiding the wiggling attachments. Ten points for avoiding the swift-not-swift hitting stick. Can I reach the food hole this time? Twenty-five points if I get close enough to smell. Slowly does it. Mmmm they smell so sweet, like the bestest rotting fruit. Yes! A personal best! Time to ride the no-wings sound waves, weeeeeee.

Wait! Ground, abort-abort. Whoosh and back up, I wonder if I can land on the no-wings? The others said I would end up squished if I did, but what do they know? They were too scared to leave the compost heap, but not me. I’m the bravest fly, just like my Daddy. I can do it. Fifty thousand, no, fifty bajillion points to me if I can land on the no-wings. What a story it will be to tell my maggots, the time Daddy walked on a no-wings. Wait, where did the no-wings go?

Oh! Are we playing hide and seek again? Come out, come out, wherever you are no-wings! Thud-click, awwww the no-wings cheated! How dare they use the strange forcefield on me again. Hmmph, I’m getting hungry anyway, where did the no-wings hide the tasty treats? Maybe I’ll have to go back to the compost heap, tell my tales of adventures to all my larval-mates. Once they’ve heard about how brave and adventurous I’ve been I’m sure the lady-flies will be wafting their precious smells into the air, lingering in my path so I bump into them. I wonder what my beloved will look like? Mammy says I’ve always been fascinated by legs, saying I cried and cried as a maggot cos I didn’t have my grown-up legs yet. Ooh, what’s that flickering by the portal?

Wowza! What a lovely leg! Dark like the sleepy-time sky. Such perfection and grace, even the little hairs are beautifully groomed. I can’t wait to see the other five legs and wings of this lovely lady-fly. What did Mammy say a lady-fly liked? Yes, that’s it, brush my antenna’s, rub my legs, and fluff my wings. There, a most handsome gentleman to woo the lovely lady-fly that perfect and beautiful leg belongs to. Now, how to get my lovely lady-fly’s attention? I must use my best moves. That’s it, round and round the indoor sun and weeeeeee, straight to the portal, where my lovely lady-fly rests.

Owwwww, sticky-sticky- stuck. Help! My darling come quick! Reach out with that lovely leg of yours and save me! Urgh what am I stuck in? My lovely lady-fly why are there eight of your lovely legs? And why do you have eight eyes? Are five not enough? Eight…eight… what did Mammy and Daddy say about creatures with eight of things? That’s right: eight of eyes and legs of eight. Spider-spider. Don’t delay, be afraid. Flitter-flutter fly away. Flutter-flapper fly, fly away. No. No, my wings are stuck! Spider-spider please! I’ll fight the big no-wings for you! I’ll bring my larval mates to you and all your pals webs! I’ll give you all the points I earnt with my fancy tricks! I’ll polish those wonderful fangs of yours. Fangs?!

Mmmmm my world feels so soft. Wrapped so softly in Spider-spiders’ silk. Flitter-flutter my wings won’t work. Flutter-flapper my legs are stuck. I feel so heavy but yet so light. Why did I want to move so fast? Mammy and Daddy always told me my speed would be my end. I hope they think I died fighting a no-wings. Well, a big no-wings, the kind with an acceptable amount of legs.

Spider-spider won’t you let me go? I have so much life left to live. I promise I’ll return, just let me find a lovely lady-fly, let me sire a brood of maggots. I’ll even keep a couple, just for you. Owww my thorax feels so squishy, like I’ve flown too close to the ground, and it does that funny dippy thing. Oh, I’ll never get to feel that again. Or get to show my maggots and their maggots how to ride the big no-wings sound waves. I’ll never get to meet my lovely lady-fly, or take a trip to the rotten fruit patch, or walk on the big no-wings. I wanted to do so many things, show everyone how brave I am, how brave my descendants would be.

Spider-spider I feel a little sick, like my insides are as soft as your silk. Won’t you unwrap me please, so I don’t ruin your web? No? You like to slurp your food, just like me? But I don’t want to be slurped, I want to fly, feel the air through my wings. Is that why you eat us Spider-spider, because you can’t fly? I can teach you once my head feels less woozy. Owww I feel all squished, I can’t teach you to fly with fang holes in my head.

Spider-spider, please tell my family… I was the bravest fly.

BIO: Lindsay holds an MA in Creative Writing and is based in South Wales. Her short stories, flash fiction and poetry have been published internationally in lit mags and journals including: Gwyllion Magazine, The Daily Drunk Mag, The Viridian Door, Litmora Literary Magazine, The Dirigible Balloon, The Hooghly Review, The Maudlin House, and others. Her short stories also feature in anthologies including Laughs in Space (Slab Press) and Grimm Retold (Speculation Publications.) She has a short story forthcoming with Hell Itself. You can find her on Twitter - Lindsay_Writes3 and all of her works on her website https://lindsaycomerwriter.wordpress.com/.