Standing on a Street Corner
Written by Artichokie
So, there I was standing on the street corner when this thing came buzzing by my head. I didn't know what it was for I could not even see it. It was just a blur flying circles around my head. I tried to follow it with my eyes to get a good glimpse of it, but all it did was result in a headache. Not the smartest idea in the world, I agree.
After a few more turns, the thing decided to land on the sidewalk at my feet. It was a tiny thing, its shape no more discernable than the next pebble being flung off the asphalt-covered roadway. In fact, if I hadn't watched it land, I wouldn't even know it was there. It had a round, metallic shell that covered its entire body. It looked to have a flat bottom with six little black legs protruding from its side. It had two small, transparent wings that fluttered restlessly where it stood.
I crouched down to get a closer look, conscious of the curious passersby and uncaring of their looks of blatant rejection of my sanity. I was sane, by God! It's not a sin to be overly curious, despite the fact that curiosity did kill a cat. Or, at least that's how the Muggle saying goes, at any rate. I think. A car driving recklessly down the street came close to hitting the curb, disturbing the creature's resting place. It shot up above my head and flew to the building residing on the street corner. Finding a warm brick to rest against, it once more settled against the surface, its wings fluttering in a staccato rhythm.
Rising to my feet, I walked over to it. The bug had landed at my eye-level, its gray body more apparent against the orange brick. From what I could see, it had no eyes. Its shell neatly enveloped its insides leaving holes only for its legs and single antenna extending from what I assumed was the front end of its body.
I took another step forward, my leather-clad toes roughly hitting the brick building. For the life in me, I could not figure out what this little bug was. Surely, it was nothing I've ever seen before. My eyebrows turned downward in a frown as I continued to study it. What the Merlin was it?
My nostrils flared in frustration. Reaching up, I gently prodded the thing with one finger. The thing barely flinched, its wings still fluttering in that unpredictable pattern. Pressing my finger against the top of the critter's shell, I discovered the shell was incredibly rigid. It felt almost like metal. In fact, now that it had come to mind, the creature did look like it was covered in metal. The legs, too, did not look like actual insect-like legs. They were bent in the middle, but they were far too defined. I bent my head closer and stared at it through one eye. There was something very strange about the thing before me.
Before I had time to ponder that thought further, the shell cracked open. A small green snake's head pushed out of the critter's shell and came straight for my head. I stumbled back, knocking into someone as I did. They pushed me back towards the small snake and sent me a string of words that I couldn't hear. My eyes were riveted on the thing on the brick wall. The snake head looked at me intently, its mechanic tongue slowly slithering out of its mouth in almost the same fashion as the bug's wings had been fluttering.
The snake's mouth opened slightly. A single word escaped its black cavern. "Boo."
In a blink of an eye, the snake's head disappeared back into the silver shell of the bug. In an instant later, the bug had pushed off of the wall and flew down the street. I followed it with my eyes, watching it disappear around the corner of the small building it had once rested on. I went to pursue it for I knew at once that it hadn't acted alone. Nothing like that could survive in the world without someone controlling it.
I had taken two steps when I spied two redheaded young teens merrily run out from behind the building. With their backs to me, I doubt they'd even spied me. Oh, but I spied them. Both had huge grins on their faces, laughter escaping their mouths uncontrollably. In one of their hands, I spied a flash of silver—the creature I had been after. I knew at once who my culprits were.
"Fred and George," I said under my breath. They'd mentioned following me to and from work behind their mother's back before, but I never thought they'd actually do it. And to pull a prank on their own father—! I shook my head. This time, my reckless sons had indeed gone too far. As I turned around to continue my trek back home, I couldn't restrain a few chuckles, myself. I decided then to leave their punishment up to Molly.