The Shortened Life of Maxwell Flye

My mother strikes again!

Preamble:

 

During the summer, I always used to hang out in my parents’ bedroom. My reason? The bed. To me, it was the most satisfactory reading-spot out of anywhere in the house. High-rising, spacious, soft, and glorious. I’d often be found tucked away in there, wrapped up in some book or the other.

 

Now this story comes from one day when I was partaking in my usual afternoon read in the bed, while my mother was in the room’s adjoining bathroom, getting ready to go out. I had just gotten to a particularly interesting place in my book, when all of a sudden I heard an explosion of vexation and promptly witnessed (as far as listening goes) the rather untimely demise of a fly that had made the mistake of wandering into the bathroom where my mother dwelt. [For those of you who don’t know, Mum hates winged pests (as was established in an earlier story)].

 

Having heard what just transpired, what was left for me to do? I’d just found my next inspiration. My writer’s senses tingling, I immediately put down my book and came up with this little story….

********

Shortened Life

(As told from the ghost of one recently departed Maxwell E. Flye)

 

Today hadn't been the best of days.

 

In fact, I could probably say that, to date, this was the worst day I've ever had in my life....

 

For one thing, I had broken up with my fiancee, Zypha, over  a rather stupid issue - she was convinced that the eggs her friend Felece finally laid were mine, to which I adamantly protested. Who on earth would want to flit around with the likes of Felece? She probably has more germs than brains. But I digress.

    

So the break up with my fiancee was the start of a long day of pathetic events. I won't be tedious and list them all, but my little sister's running/flying away, my demotion at work and missing both lunch and dinner were among the tougher ones. I have to admit I was feeling pretty low at this point. And hungry, to boot.

 

Now I found myself in the vast space of the bathroom in the master bedroom, in a desperate search for my sister. It was getting late, and I had searched everywhere else. It was not like Alista to go off like that. I suspected some male drone must have been involved. 

 

I was about to give up on the bathroom and circle the house once more when I smelled it - the sweet fragrance of something I had come across before, but had never gotten the chance to investigate. The scent hit my feelers (nostrils, to humans) and went straight to my empty stomach with an intense urgency. I had to locate the source.

 

I found it quickly. It was the woman. The shorter one. Wherever that scent was coming from, she clearly was the initiator. I observed her quietly, trying to detect where exactly the source of the scent was located, but I was too far away to discern anything of real value. So I moved in closer.

 

 

It was the biggest mistake of my life.

 

Noticing my advance, the woman suddenly erupted into a feral irritation. "Thing, get away from me!" she screamed in disdain, waving her arm in my direction in an attempt to blast me out of her way.

 

SWOOSH! The large mass barely missed me. Mind, the breeze from the assault knocked me off-balance, but I quickly regained my posture, ruffling my wings in indignation. I mean was that really necessary? I was just being curious. Goodness.

 

I had a mind to just forget it and continue the search for my sister, but my curiousity was just screaming to be sated. So I took the risk and approached the woman again. This time more subtly. She would expect me from the right, this time I would go in from the left.

 

Did I say subtle? Subtle my bottom wings. She knew exactly where I was coming from and promptly doubled her efforts to destroy me. Arms waving wildly, she came at me with rage. I just managed to escape this time by the atoms of my wings. At least for the moment. Desparate to escape the mad woman, I dove for the sink. Surely the underside of the faucet would offer me some protection.

 

 I was wrong.

 

 No sooner had I landed on the sink counter did I hear the woman yell "Do not make the mistake of landing!"

 

And then I felt the force of a thousand bricks come crashing down on me. I knew I had been crippled before the pain even started settling in.

 

 "That's where I'll get you!" she finished her sentence and then I heard rather than felt the crushing material fall upon me. White spots began forming. I no longer felt my body. I no longer felt...anything...

 

 I was fading fast.

 

 The last thing I remember was the sound of running water and my body seemingly floating to some unknown destination.

 

 "I'll burn you" were the words of comfort she offered my crushed body.

 

 And then...darkness.

Author's Note

Thoughts?

Reviews

[reflectingus]

This is amazing.
I'm deeply impressed by your idea, and your inspiration, and the names, of course. What interested every single atom in my brain was the way you wrote this story, that is EXACTLY the kind of stuff I love, a joke becomes extra funny when you describe it with big words, like, I loved "Did I say subtle? Subtle my bottom wings" hhaha. I'm so glad you added the preamble, that just made this what it is, this dotingly hot anecdote, every part had my utmost attention, and Mr. Flye, may you rest in peace.
(this is so going in my favorites)

[Mama Topaz]

THIS IS BRILLIANT! I love it so much! Thank you for sharing it! It's going in my favorites. :-)

[Kat]

wow i'm so glad that this was the story i chose to review! it was the first one i read of yours, after the description and its fantastic! your approach is so neat, and the idea is so different. really well written i also might add. i loved reading that (:

p.s....thankyou for the review (:

[Priya]

Hahaha, I can't seem to decide whether this was better than The Mosquiteers. But it doesn't matter. Both are absolutely delightful! You keep writing them, and I'll keep loving them :)

[Kurai Himitsu]

This was an amazing story. I love it

[Marie]

I read this by accident and was surprised to find how good it was. And so polished--I automatically proofread every thing, and I found no mistakes. I read every sentence instead of skimming. I felt, really that it deserved a happier ending; that Maxwell should have lived to fly another day. But you're the author, and it was your call.

[Kate W]

We've all watched them, we've all swatted them, we've all missed, hit and cussed the darn things as we've swiped!! I found the inspiration just as interesting as the piece itself. Well done :)

[Pencrafter]

This is a cute and amusing story. There is some oddness, such as the fly understanding human speach. And I couldn't quite follow the line about how the woman would 'burn' the fly after having been flushed. But that's nit-picking. It was easy to read, partly due to your proper spelling and punctuation.
Good job.

[xx]

I have never before read a story starring the life of a fly, much less of a fly named Maxwell E. Flye (may he rest in peace), but I'm glad that I remedied that today. This is definitely one of the most original stories I've read so far (at least in recent memory, and my memory isn't all that terrible) on WC. I'm tickled by the account you provide before commencing the story; a writer's moments of muse are here and there and everywhere in between, if you know where to look.

The life you give Maxwell E. Flye is brilliantly realistic, although it's purely fantastical - is this paradoxical? maybe so - and obviously isn't true (or is it?). His troubles are amusing, though grievously troubling they may be to him - his fiancee has tossed him to the winds, his sister has quite possibly run off with some other stud of a fly, and goodness knows what other troubles Maxwell has had so far.

Then you paint the rest of the picture, slowly making way for his demise, and in doing so, you flawlessly illustrate Maxwell's persistence and /foolishness/, really - he is a fly, a fly like any other. Persistent and foolish are just the words to describe his efforts to investigate the woman, and his antics bring about his untimely demise and subsequent banishment down the sink drain.

What a life, the life of a fly.

Your story is characterized by good writing, of course, but also by genuinely clever humor, so I congratulate you on this wonderful product of A-1 effort. Wonderful stuff - keep writing! :)

-Mina

[Siren]

I liked this. I found it....cute. Don't ask me why. But it was great to read, thanks for sharing. :)