Taste Me and You Die
In the natural world, yellow and black together mean danger. I’m striped like a bumblebee for the Halloween party when this Freddy Krueger won’t take my brushoffs. He thinks I’m being coy. He thinks he’s the predator and I’m the prey. But I’m not a bumblebee. I’m a cinnabar caterpillar. The larvae absorb alkaloids and become toxic. But some are foolish enough to ignore the signs for their own pleasure, only to die with a belly full of caterpillar. Despite no encouraging signals, he moves closer to kiss me. I wonder if he can smell the poison on my breath.
Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk
Great.
I really enjoyed this story. Packs a punch, despite its size.
Ooh! I like this! Dressed as a lobster for a costume party decades ago a red ant hit on me, until I said I was a lobster. He said he was into insects.