Summer of Love: Mayfly girl tragic romance

>I liked to spend my summers near the local pond fishing. Occasionally I'd catch a fish. But mostly I just  liked to watch the local fauna.

>Insect girls were everywhere. A couple of vamp mosquitos fought over some nectar. A caterpillar girl was sowing herself into a cocoon. Some freshwater mermaids popped out of the water and gave me some salacious looks. I shot them a wave and returned to my fishing. I kind of already had somebody.

>A small insect girl covered in tiny feelers and chitin swam next to me, a couple of fish in her mouth. She spat them onto the ground next to me. I ruffle her hair and give her a smile. She didn't have a name so I just called her Ginny. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, I think she enjoyed the fact someone gave her a proper name.

>She swam by whenever I was down here. I think she liked me, because the other Mamono tended to drift away from me whenever I was around.

>We spent a lot of time talking. She didn’t know her parents. Her mom died before she was born. She had a couple early memories of her father but then nothing. We talked about a lot of things. The weather, the other Mamono living in the pound and their habits, the various “treasure” she dredged up from the middle of the pound. Sometimes I would even coax her onto the bank and we would hold hands for a while.

>Towards the middle of summer things started to change. She became much more bashful around me and would sometimes cover her chest when I looked at her. I didn’t think much of it. I just thought she was going through a phase. But one day when I went to the shore I noticed a molt on the ground. It contained her feelers and the chitin I’d come to associate with her small body.My curiosity over her whereabouts didn’t last long. I hear a fluttering of wings as something lands next to me.  “Robert? It’s me, Ginny. I uh…had a bit of a change.”

>I turn around to see the most beautiful creature I’ve ever encountered. She was about as tall as I was and covered in a smooth looking green chitin. Her back had a pair of beautiful, venous wings. Sunlight cascaded through them causing a rainbow-like effect to radiate out of them. Two sets of long feelers emerged from the top of her head, going past her long green hair. Her chest was small but perfectly shaped, and I could notice her beautiful hips as she shifted slightly from left to right. I don’t say anything, I just stand there in awe of her beauty.
>She continued to rub her hands together and blush, something clearly bothering her. “P-please stop staring; you’re making me feel weird!”
>I blush and turn away from her. She steps up next to me and presses her lithe body against mine. “Can I ask you a favor? Do you…like me?”
>“Of course I like you, Ginny. I’ve come here every day to see you. You’re special to me!”
>Ginny pressed her lips against mine. I was caught off guard, but soon I return the kiss, our tongues intertwining with each other.
>She breaks the kiss reluctantly. “I don’t have much time. I’m not sure if you know this but I’m a mayfly girl…we don’t live long like this. Just long enough to find a mate. Would you…like to be mine?”
>A tear rolls down my eye. She’s so beautiful and cute and sweet, how could I possible say no?
>I plant a kiss on her cheek. “I know this is sudden, but like you said, we don’t have much time. Would you marry me?”
>Ginny looks at me, her eyes filled with glee , before she jumps into my arms. She kisses me all over my face as we fall to the ground. I pick her up and take her to the side of the river, where I pull out a special little plain silver ring she found for me one day in the river. She told me to always keep it on me as a good luck charm. I put it onto Ginny’s finger and she lets out a squeal of joy.
>She leads me into the brush and we make love for the rest of the day, two new lovers writhing against each other, trying to find solace in each other’s embrace. The sound of crickets gently singing lull us to sleep as we rest in each other’s arms.


>The next day, she looks much older. Her breasts have swelled and developed. She’s grown taller. Her face has lines in it. Her stomach has swelled slightly. She looks…mature. Ginny grins as my eyes widen. I didn’t think it was possible for her to become more beautiful. She rubs a chitinous hand over my face, stopping next to my cheeks. “You know, my love, I hope our children have your beautiful grey eyes. They are so distinct.” I gently grab her hand. “We’re going to be parents! “I exclaim.
>She smiles and then turns away, a small bit of sadness plain in her expression. Then she turns back, her sorrow gone, hiding under a bright smile. “Let’s spend the rest of the day making love; I want to burn all of me into you, okay?”
>We do just that. After last night, she has become much more experienced, stimulating my weak points in ways I never thought possible. We only stop to rest occasionally or drink water.

>Night soon begins to creep in. Ginny’s  skin has become looser and somewhat withered. Her hair is turning grey. She is having a hard time walking without my aid. She lowers herself next to the water and begins to groan as she releases her eggs into the water. I hold her hand and try to comfort her through the whole process. After she’s finished, I pull her to the shore we always used to meet each other and stroke her hair as she begins to pant in shallow breaths. She’s dying. Tears begin to well in my eyes as I look down at her. Even like this, I still find her beautiful.

>Ginny wipes the tears from my eyes “Thank you, my love. I know our time together was brief but I’m glad I could spend it with you. You’ve made me so happy.”
>She slips the silver ring from her finger. “Promise me, on this ring you will find someone else. Promise me that you will not spend the rest of your life grieving. You’ve given me children and so much love. I want you to move on and be happy. Just, try not to forget about me okay?” even like this she’s still smiling.
>I force a smile as I try to bite back the tears. “I promise.”
>I lean down and give her one final kiss. I don’t stop until I feel her cease breathing.  I pull away, my eyes stained with tears as I gaze down on her. She never stopped smiling.

>I gently pick up her body, wrapping it in some blankets I had in my car. I drive to my house and when I get there I walk out the small tree growing on the edge of my property. I begin to dig. I dig long and deep, trying to use the manual labor to distract myself . It doesn’t work. Twice I have to stop because I can’t hold back the tears.  When I’m finally finished, I make my way back to the car. I tenderly scoop Ginny’s body into my hands and make my way back to the grave. I set her in the ground, and give her one last peck on the forehead before I begin shoveling the dirt over her.  When it’s finally over, I make my way back into the house and down enough whiskey to put an oni down before passing out.

>For the rest of the summer, I go out and watch the eggs, keeping predators from snatching them. I can’t be there all of the time, so a few get inevitably taken but the majority still remains. After a couple of weeks, the eggs finally hatch. I gasp at the sight of our beautiful children. They have their mother’s hair . The little nymphs  dart over to me when they see me. One of them swims over to my feet dangling in the water and gives it a gentle rub.  They swim around me for a bit making cooing noises and splashing each other. After a bit though, they begin to disappear under the water, where they will swim to the bottom and stay hidden and safe, scavenging until they can reach their mature stage and find a mate. I smile as the last girl to leave gives me a wave of a feeler before sinking under the water. It wasn’t long, but at least they knew their father.

>I can’t help but smile as I drive back. Ginny got her wish. They did have my eyes.

Epilogue:

> ~8 years later.

>It’s summer again. I never went back to the pond, but I occasionally visit Ginny’s grave. Especially when I’m having a rough time. I talk to her sometimes. I don’t know if she can hear me, wherever she is but I hope she’s listening.  Today I don’t have much to say though. It’s a more nostalgic time, no point in ruining it with words.

>My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. I turn around and smile as a beautiful mothgirl approaches me.  “Clara, what are you doing out here?”
>She tries to smile back  but her heart isn’t in it. “It’s the anniversary of Ginny’s death today, isn't it?”
>I swallow.  “Yeah.  8 years today. She didn’t live a long time, but she made a big impact in my life.”
>Clara gently nuzzles up to me, wrapping her hand around mine to comfort me. “I’m sorry.”
>Tears begin to well up in my eyes. “Am I a bad husband Clara? Can you really be satisfied with someone still grieving over their first wife?”
>She reaches in and gives me a kiss on the lips. “It’s been all this time and you still care about her, still come out and take care of her grave. You’re so full of love Robert, I would be an awful wife to hold that against you.”
>I try to bite back the tears but she just holds me in her soft arms, gentle warming me with her fluffy hair as I cry into her. “It’s okay. Just let it all out.” She’s such an angel, sometimes I wonder what she sees in me.
>After a bit I finally calm down. “The girls are probably getting worried. Let’s go back, dear. I think I’m okay.” I say as I wipe the last tear from my eyes.
>We both bow and say one last goodbye to Ginny before returning to the house.

As we walk through the lawn, my hand brushes again Clara’s. We intertwine our fingers and I feel the silver wedding band she wears on her ring finger, a gift from  the first great love of my life to the second.

>My daughters come rushing out  to great us as we get closer to the house. They flit over to us and Nina plops herself on top of my head while Terry wraps her fingers around my free hand. I smile. I didn’t know I would ever find happiness like this again. Yet here I am, with a wonderful wife and two cute little daughters.

>My daughters scurry into the house and my wife began to prepare supper as I turn around to look at the setting sun. I give one last smile at the tree near the grave in the distance before I join my family inside and quietly shut the door.

END