Honor Guard

The captain has come to inspect us. His decorations are all living insects that hiss, hum, and buzz on his chest: bees, wasps, mosquitoes, flies, even a scorpion. I am allergic to bee stings and as he comes nearer to me, I panic. I try to hide by dropping to one knee and pretend to tie my shoelace. I see his boots stop in front of me and I don't know what to do, so I stay down, my face burning, my fingers fumbling with the laces, my teeth chattering with fear. Bees and wasps swarm around my hands, my face, down my collar. I tremble, cannot rise, will not stand just to be bitten. The feet of the soldier next to me shift nervously. Then he kneels to tie his shoelace. Suddenly everyone but the captain is kneeling and pretending to tie a shoelace. The bugs suddenly lift, return to the captain’s chest. He walks away.

Author Susan diRende travels the world with no fixed abode. She has won awards for her writing including the 2017 Special Citation for Excellence by the Philip K Dick Awards. Most recently, she has had pieces published in The Dewdrop, the Pine Hills Review, and Cascadia Subduction Zone.