V for Velvet Ant

Fun Facts:

1) Despite the resemblance to ants, the name velvet ant is a misnomer. These insects are not ants they are wasps.

2) The females are wingless and the males, who tend to be larger than the females, have wings. In addition, the females possess a painful stinging apparatus.

Here is another flash fiction piece (~ 350 wc). It's very different from what I usually write. I wanted to have a go at a fable-type piece and use at least one V word in each sentence. You'll notice a few spots with sad attempts at poetic verse (remember my anti-poetry curse from a few posts back). Anyway, most will cringe at this but whatever, I wanted to try something new (I'm stubborn that way (;   ). When I was done, I read it to my little ones and they had a ton of questions for me lol. But we had fun and they even seemed to enjoy it, which works for me!

And yes, in some spots I took some "artistic" liberties with the wording.... :P

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A very long time ago, a vindictive queen ruled the velvet ant kingdom.

Her name was Queen Viddica. She had the most beautiful violet colored wings and everyday she would demand her people venerate her beauty above all else. And everyday Queen Viddica became more and more consumed by vanity and her reflection.

 

“I am Queen Viddica bow down on one knee,

You’ll never find another as voluptuous as me.”

And everyday the villagers would kneel out of fear of her majesty’s volatile nature.  Until one day, a visitor came.  He was an old, tired, vagabond who had lost his vision long ago, and would not kneel like the rest.

 “Kneel before me!” voiced the Queen, visibly annoyed at the old vagabond.

To this he replied, “Queen Viddica have pity on my old and tired knees, I lack the vigor and strength I once had in my youth.”

But vanity had consumed all traces of kindness within the Queen and her soul was vexed.



  
If he would not kneel like the rest, then he would have to be vanquished. She could not let a vagabond veer the villager’s obedience.   

So she took him on a long voyage to the ends of the Earth. And when they arrived to the vast emptiness, she dropped him on the ground and viciously left him to die.

"Beware young Queen, your beauty blinds you more than my eyes blind I, a storm is approaching, it is not safe for you to fly,” warned the vagabond.

 

Except the Queen had already vanished into the clouds, flying higher and higher claiming mighty victory.

But the vagabond’s words proved true and a violent storm grew. And suddenly, the Queen was struck by vertical lightning. Down she fell, plummeting to the ground, a vision of vengeance sent from the heavens above.

 When she awoke, Queen Viddica cried out in sorrow. Her wings had vanished, her beauty was gone.

And that is the tale of the velvet ant queen who can sometimes be seen today, wandering the Earth, wingless and melancholic, gazing vicariously at  butterflies and longing for wings she once had. 

 

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