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April Prompts Day 1 - Ladybug

Featuring: Fera and a brief mention of Vera, who belongs to @pagesofcursive

Pale and cheery, the sun shone overhead. With her feet spread out in front of her, Fera relished in the breeze that swept her short ginger curls around her face. She tilted her head up, squinting and watching clouds glide lazily by. It was a good day.

Sweet green treetops raced down her vision, followed by dense foliage sprinkled with light buds that were chased down by chocolate trunks, a spread of grass and finally, daffodils that shone brighter than the sun. She giggled under her breath as she ran her hands through the short blades, her fingers catching on shallow roots. Brushing her fingers against the edge of a smooth, boxy wooden planter, something clinked among the birdsong. Turning to face the noise, fuschia snapdragons wheeled around the edge of her vision. A tiny clay fairy lay toppled by her clumsy gestures. Sheepishly, she plucked up the periwinkle figure. She paused with the edge of the base resting in place, a flash of orange catching her eye. Focusing her attention away from the figurine she heard it tinkle back down. She winced, but soon forgot as a ladybug captured her gaze. Two horizontal pyramids of dots mirrored on the centre of its shell. The edges of her lips crept up as she laid her chin on her overlapping hands, catlike, as she watched it climb a normally unremarkable clay pot. Although small, the orange critter made quick progress up the black beans Fera was resetting the planter with. It wound its path around the top third of a pole and Fera's heart twisted, knowing it would leave her soon. She hoped it would remain in the garden at least, to join the others she'd begun to see again. She'd seen a two-spot ladybug a week ago, one she'd met right before winter. This amber friend was new. She resisted the urge to catch it; it would be so simple, just to cup her hands around it and bring it inside. She could show her sister, Vera, who loved orange ladybugs the most. It was almost too late now anyway. It reached the top of one of the support sticks. It stopped, as if to acknowledge its audience, as if saying farewell, as if reassuring Fera she would see it again. Maybe she was imagining things. It parted its shell, exposing delicate, translucent wings that extended into the slowly strengthening sunlight. It took off. Fera watched the ladybug for as long as she could, until the glare of the sun cast it into invisible light. A breeze curled around her ankles and a shy thump distracted her search of the sky for her newly lost friend. She bent down with a bittersweet smile, and righted the pale blue fairy with a red dot on its outstretched hand. A friend for them who would never say farewell. Another ladybug enjoying the pale spring sunshine.