Sponsor a story at EDF - Your message can reach thousands of readers for just $4
The crane fly only had three legs. It sat on the whitewashed garden wall next to the river, back legs splayed at one hundred and eighty degrees. It hadn’t moved in at least twenty minutes and Daniel wondered if he had killed it.
A group of boys from the village, camouflage skinned with grass stains and dried mud, shouted and splashed upstream but Daniel didn’t want to join them. He preferred spending time with smaller creatures; the dive-bombing dragonflies and stripe legged spiders that buzzed and crawled amongst the weeds. He had been sitting in his usual spot by the garden gate since lunchtime and he was practising keeping still. It was easier to concentrate that way and he didn’t disturb the insects.
He had noticed the fly, black and immobile like a scribble against the bright painted bricks and felt a strange camaraderie with the hamstrung creature. Daniel didn’t know how many legs a crane fly needed to stay alive. He didn’t know if it would hurt to have three missing legs and he didn’t know if he was perhaps witnessing the fly’s silent demise. Daniel pressed a smudged hand to his forehead, a whisper of pain curling behind his left eye. The weight of the question was making him tired.
If it were still alive, would it be able to fly? Its criss-crossed wings looked sturdy enough but perhaps it needed all six legs for take-off or for balance? Daniel knew that crane flies didn’t need to eat, that their sole purpose was to find a mate, and he wondered if this particular crane fly would ever be able to join the others flitting above the water as the sun went down.
Daniel shifted his weight. He felt his belt tighten and dig into the soft folds of flesh around his middle. He could hear the muddy boys upstream running and jumping and whooping. His head thumped behind his eyeballs and he bit his lip hard, tasting blood. He wondered what it would be like to dangle a leg in the cold, clear river. What would it feel like to swoop the waters surface like a tiny helicopter? What would that kind of danger feel like?
But none of these thoughts would change the fact that this particular crane fly only had three legs and that this particular crane fly might be dead and that Daniel, just by concentrating on it, might have killed it. Daniel decided that he had to know.
He started to sweat as he edged closer, tongue slicking his lower lip in concentration. One sticky hand pressed to the wall, he tilted forwards until his nose was level with the fly. For a moment he stayed there, transfixed by the pearlescent gauze of its angel wings, its mottled caterpillar body and its two tiny gemstone eyes. He shaped his lips into a kiss and breathed out, a tiny warm breath at first and a then little stronger and a little stronger until the crane fly’s wings rippled and it struggled into the air.
Daniel watched it, dry mouthed, his heart pounding and plunging as the fly dipped and dragged to the top of the wall. He gasped as it lifted itself into flight, its three spiderweb legs dangling like loose ends of black cotton. A laugh bubbled from deep inside his chest as the fly circled sleepily and headed out over the water.
Daniel’s hand trembled on the wheel of his chair.
Katherine Clements writes in Guildford, Surrey, UK and is currently completing her first novel. Her work has been published in Mslexia magazine.
GD Star Rating
loading...
CRANE FLY • by Katherine Clements,
loading...
23 Responses to “CRANE FLY • by Katherine Clements”
Comments
« TERRY AND THE EYE • by Gaius Coffey | Home | Podcast EDF014: Mission Accomplished • written by Kevin Shamel • read by Adam Kerby »
March 7th, 2010 at 1:42 am
That was a definite five stars (in spite of the lack of variation in sentence structure) until I reached the last line and couldn’t fathom what it meant.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:47 am
Five from me too. This story brought a sense of stillnes and peace, and also sorrow after reading it. The sensory experience of a child’s afternoon provided a wonderful journey. Thank you Katherine.
March 7th, 2010 at 6:22 am
Absolutely beautiful. Just enough hints throughout to make me wonder if Daniel was not playing in the water with his friends because he could not. And a powerful reveal at the end: the contrast between the fly circling out over the water and Daniel confined to his wheelchair. Five from me!
March 7th, 2010 at 6:24 am
How absolutely beautiful! An incredible piece of literary fiction.
March 7th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Loved it. To the person that could not fathom the last line, um, WHEELCHAIR! Duh! Then again, I have multiple sclerosis and so maybe I am more receptive to disability imagery than you, Paul A Freeman.
March 7th, 2010 at 7:23 am
Every morning, I can’t wait to read my EDF. You guys are so talented, and Ms. Clements doesn’t disappoint either. Four stars.
Just to clarify, I think I’d tell the reader how many legs a crane fly is suppose to have.
In the line…He preferred spending time with smaller creatures; the dive-bombing…..
Should it be…He preferred spending time with smaller creatures like the dive-bombing…..
Or…He preferred spending time with smaller creatures: the dive-bombing fly, stripped legged spiders, and colorful dragon flies. (Not to add, but with the colon you must have 3 insects to complete the list.)
In the line…He didn’t know if it would hurt to have three missing legs… I think, I would delete that line part of that line. Of course it hurts and Daniel did know what it was like to not have the use of his legs
Wonderful ending.
March 7th, 2010 at 7:44 am
Such a beautiful story. Absolutely a well deserved 5 stars. However, I must admit that I got hung up on “crane fly,” because I thought that was a different name for a Crane (as in machinery), but once I understood, I started back at the beginning and throughly enjoyed the story.
March 7th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Beautiful, touching story with great put-you-right-there details.
March 7th, 2010 at 8:51 am
A lovely story with such vivid descriptions, especially of the “smaller creatures”! Five stars.
March 7th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Gorgeous, Katherine. Just gorgeous, and I loved the ending. I love that we had no idea just why he would feel such a kinship with a creature that had lost half his legs until the last line…it totally worked. Beautiful.
March 7th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Cranefly = Daddy Longlegs
March 7th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
A touching story with immersive descriptions. Really glad I read it.
March 7th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Oh, and Natalie, thanks for putting me in my place for my lack of, er, receptiveness.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Katherine: A wonderful, memorable story. Powerful and poignant ending.
March 7th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Very captivating indeed. A nice sense of irony.
One typo – third sentence from the end – “lose” is a verb, rhyming with “choose”. The adjective required here is “loose”, rhyming with “moose”.
March 7th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Beautifully written and well deserving of the high praise it has received thus far. As a kid, I was always fascinated with bugs and felt a connection with the MC.
The choice of the crane fly was interesting, but understandable if you know what one is. They are about as fragile looking a bug as you’ve ever seen with gangly legs that break all too easily if you are not careful. I’ve always called them “mosquito hawks” and Paul’s referencing them as “daddy longlegs” was a new one on me (always thought of daddy longlegs as a type of spider). Anyway a perfect counterpoint to Daniel…the more I think about it the more I really like this story.
–John
March 7th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
A lovely job of description, putting the reader right beside the wall amidst the insects. And then the gentle reveal about the wheelchair.
Congratulations on a wonderful story.
March 7th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Thanks for spotting that typo, Ian; I’ve fixed it now.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Thank you to everyone for such wonderful, helpful comments. It really means a lot to receive such positive and encouraging feedback.
- Katherine
March 12th, 2010 at 3:04 am
Perfect proof that you can find plot and tension in the smallest events. A very enjoyable story, told with wonderful, flowing prose.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Very nice Katherine.
March 13th, 2010 at 2:05 am
Wonderful story, good contrasting ideas, and vivid emotions. I hope to see more from you soon.
May 9th, 2010 at 2:20 am
What a lovley piece of writing. Great to read you Kathrine, I look forward to the novel. Good luck xx