100 Odd Words # 5 - The Mayfly


“Oh, very much like a mayfly,” she says as she shifts the child in her arms.  “If you make the comparison with the understanding of the full lifespan of the mayfly.  Mayflies live much longer than one day.  That tiny lifespan we think about, when it mates and dies, is only the adult phase.  Before that, the mayfly swims about in larval form for months, sometimes up to a year.  The process of metamorphosis gives the mayfly the ability to procreate but leaves the digestive system vestigial and nonfunctional and thus it dies because it can no longer nourish itself.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NaNoWriMo: The Aftermath

 I made it! That's really the overall feeling that comes out of this year's effort--I made it. How did I manage this with a full-time job? I know I've done it, repeatedly. But this year it was harder than it's been in a while. I lost a couple of evenings doing things that were not writing, and that days that I did write were under 1,000 words for a long stretch. One day, I only wrote 93 words. But I persisted, had a couple of high-volume days, and hit 50,000 a few days before the 30th.  The story is nowhere near complete--my outline is 26 chapters, plus epilogue, and I left off at the start of chapter 19. My master plan is to return to Christophina's Garden , create a new outline for what's been written and what has yet to be written, and then finish the thing!  After that, I'll finish up Christophina's Moon  and then work on revising all three books simultaneously to sift out the continuity errors. If I'm clever enough, I may be able to come up with
Read more

NaNoWriMo Day 30: The End

 Wordcount (final): 52,176 First line of the day:  She’s asking so she can cash in on the hype while it’s still hyping. Last line of the day:  I look at the texture I’m working on, put Lenny in my pocket and go to the guest house. Bad summary: Young woman has phone conversation with art dealer. Makes sense in context:  I feel stupid the moment I ask that question.
Read more

NaNoWriMo Day 22: Just the Stats

 Word court: 39,064 First line of the day:  It probably doesn’t help that we got under the covers, because we were cold on account of being nude. Last line of the day:  “Speaking of landmarks, would you be willing to incarnate as Xenix long enough to sell the Green Man Gallery plot to me? I want to set up a link to Turris Solis there.” Bad summary: Newlywed couple hosts reception for wedding party. Everybody gets along quite well. Young lady contacts charity, plays in virtual worlds, and makes dinner from the leftover reception food. Makes sense in context:  The Johnson-Reeds arrive just in time to hear Uncle Robbie laughing hysterically and emerging from the dining room waving a chicken nugget around.
Read more