The Lighthouse Event

By ~Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris

In response to picture prompt DISTANCE provided by KL Caley from New to Writing

“Mable, Mable! Wake up!” The male shook his wife vigorously. He’d never known anyone that could sleep like his wife.

“Mable! Wake up, I think I’ve found sustenance! Come on!”

Mable roused at the mention of food, how long had it been since they’d eaten anything at all healthy or nutritious for either of them?

She rolled her rather large self up off of the soft bed of hay to peer up at her
much smaller, but currently highly animated husband.

“What do you see Dandy Randy?” She felt his excitement and moved up to be beside him. He really was exquisite, that’s why she had chosen him and why she’d dubbed him Dandy Randy the first time he had presented and preened for her.

Dandy Randy rubbed against her, a show of affection.

“There, do you see it? It comes and goes, sort of blinking, but very bright when it blinks on our way. I’m positive it’s calling to us Mable. It wants us to go to it. Do you feel it too?”

“Oh yes, yes, yes! There must be food there, why else would it be signaling us? It will be so nice to have something to eat besides this dried up hay!” With one large wing, she waved toward the huge expanse of wheat and barley as far as they could see.

“Mable darling,” Dandy Randy hesitated. “Sweetheart, it’s a long way across the blue liquid. There may be dangerous things beneath and since you laid your larvae, you’re not as well … you haven’t fully recovered yet. Do you think you can make it love?” He really was concerned.

“I’m as fit as you are, bigger and stronger too so don’t you forget it!”

He knew she was upset with him because she didn’t call him Dandy Randy.

Before he could explain or issue an apology, she lifted off with her expansive wings and was out over the blue expanse in seconds.

“Mable, wait! You are flying too low, lift Mable lift!” Dandy Randy shouted at her as his much smaller but faster wings almost caught him up to her. He was too late! He saw the huge beast beneath the surface tracking his beloved. He opened his mouth to shout again when she suddenly slowed and called back to him over her beautiful, furred shoulder.

“Are you shouting at me as well now?” The beast leapt out of the blueness just in front of Mable. Had she not slowed down to wait for her husband, she would have been a snack for that monster. She owed him her life and she knew it.

Tears filled her luminous eyes, making her even more beautiful to Dandy Randy.

As he reached her, he gently nudged her up higher. Not too high or those horrid white flying things would be on them, tearing and rending them to pieces. He urged her to fly on, a little faster and more aware.

She watched below and he watched above. Sometimes their wings would touch and they’d smile that smile that married couples do.

Dandy Randy glanced behind him many times, keeping an eye on the swarm of swimming things that tracked their progress. Once in a while one of the slimy creatures would would leap at them, but the couple were flying well above the blue moving surface to worry about it.

“Almost there,” Dandy Randy raised his voice to be heard over the rapidly rising wind.

“It’s so beautiful,” Mable exclaimed only a few seconds before … “SPLAT!” … “SPLAT!”