Day 92: Bug Catcher — The Shark Agenda

Write about insects.

They all gathered around a large oak tree, covered in what looked like pink blooms. The Bug Man (that's what his little sister, Val, called him) held up his hand for silence. Once everyone was quiet, he clapped his hands twice and the pink blooms came to life.

See, they weren't flowers at all but thousands of pink butterflies resting in the tree. Val squealed in sheer delight along with the other kids, as she ran around chasing the flying insects.

He smiled.

He hadn't seen her this joyful since their mother died. It happened several months ago but Val was still haunted by it. Even therapy didn't seem to be helping much. Her therapist suggested he get her back into things that she liked doing but so far nothing had worked. Then he remembered her love of bugs and saw this insect emporium had opened up a few weeks ago and decided to take her.

She was melancholic at first but once she saw the varieties of bugs creepy-crawling around, a glimpse of her old self broke through. Now she was running around with a giant butterfly catcher that she apparently swiped from the Bug Man.

He wandered over to several octogonal-shaped terrariums lining the opposite wall. Various worms, beetles and flies worked their way through their mini ecosystems without a care in the world. He wondered for a moment if they were satisfied with their life or if even they were even aware they were alive at all.

"Drew!" He heard his sister yell out, excitedly. "Look!"

She was pointing at the high windows, featuring a darkening sky with the sun going down; which also activated what looked like hundreds of thousands of fireflies. He looked back at her and gave her a thumbs up. Her enormous grin made it all worth it.

“Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.”