Dragonfly
By
Andrew Bruce Fisk (© November 2012)
Emily sat on the warm grass bank and watched the Dragonflies play their games. The sun was kind to her today. She fingered the rings of daisy flowers her mother had given her earlier. For a brief moment she felt complete.
A dog barked in the distance. Traffic noise from the nearby dual carriageway threatened to intrude. She ignore it. The Garden was her world. She was safe here.
Her father had left early today. She wondered what had taken him away this time. Dad was always working. He was never far away and his job was very important. That is what her mother said.
The insect continued to dance across the water of her pond. Dad had made the pond himself. Before his job had become so busy. Emily loved to watch the frogs, skimmers, fish and birds that lived in the garden but her favourite was the multi-hued dragonflies that darted out from the reedbeds weaving backwards and forwards just out of reach. One of these creatures hovered near her, daring her to touch. That would not be polite. They were her friends and she knew they could easily be hurt. She did not want to lose them.
The dog had stopped barking. The cars continued to drone. The morning sun warmed her back. Soon it would be time.
The sound of a television reached out through open patio doors. Her mother was watching the news. Something special was happening today. Something involving Dad and the people at the power station.
Emily shrugged her shoulders. What was special about 11 o’clock? It always happen at that time. Dad called it 'The Shot.’ She didn’t understand what he meant. Maybe it was something to do with the new power he talked about. It was a mystery.
The siren sounded. Excited voices are raised. The television. Emily did not care, she did not notice. She is watching something else. Something more interesting, more important.
Their music of the voices sounded softly in her ears. The tone of their language washed through her thoughts. They spoke of times past and places far away. In her dreams she often saw their world. A place of bright colour and sparkling energy. She dreamed now. Sitting on the grassy bank, watching the dragonflies dance.
It was coming to an end. Something terrible was happening. She did not want her friends to go away. She loved their colourful wings and their songs. Today they seemed quiet. They were sad, frightened. She wanted to reach out and comfort them but that would not be polite.
Their world was growing dimmer. The light drowning in a dark sea. The brilliant energy absent. The voices cried out. Pleading for help but then silence fell.
The second siren woke her from the dream. It was 11:05am.
She strained her eyes.
The pond lay empty. The Dragonflies no longer danced across the water. There was no sign of her friends. They were gone. In the distance a dog barked in alarm.
Emily made a promise.
