"Look Mamma, Dragon!!!", panted the older one.
"Yes, Dragon!!!", repeated his brother.
"Not Dragon, Dragonfly", I corrected automatically, marveling that the humble insect could inspire such awe in my city bred kids.
I stuck my hand out, mentally urging the dragonfly to perch on my palm.
"No, Mamma, don't", screamed the kids. "It will bite you."
"Dragonflies don't bite."
"They do."
Their fear was contagious. For a moment I was almost scared. The dragonfly fluttered down and rested on my hand.
"Look, it's not biting me, is it?"
"Can I hold it too?"
How irrational are some of our fears.
_____
A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
My children were always terrified of bees and they behaved as though the bees were going to hunt them down and suck their blood (lol). I never understood why and nothing I could say would change their ind (of course you can't coax a bee to sit on your palm and don't really want them to), but they were also raised in the city and I was a country girl... very nice drabble story.
ReplyDeleteRayna - First, that's such a lovely 'photo! Very dramatic! And you make such an important point with your Drabble. Mostly, we fear what we do not know and understand. Once we understand a dragonfly or a group of people, we find that a lot of our fears are irrational.
ReplyDeleteI bet they don't fear dragonflies now!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great shot! I know the fear that we can get from things we think are dangerous. It's amazing how children think.
ReplyDeleteCD
The fear of the unknown--sometimes we cringe, sometimes we reach out. I love this post, how your assuredness opened a new world for the boys.
ReplyDeleteI could watch dragonflies flit around forever. And that shot is beautiful. Thank you.
And then it bit you, right?
ReplyDeleteI love how immediately after they see it won't bite, they want to hold it. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess they do appear scary to a child!
ReplyDeleteI love your 100 word story! Very compelling and nice resolution in such a short span.
ReplyDeleteLove this - our fears really can be irrational! Good story.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really great photo. Our fears hold us back sometimes...liked the way they curiosity overcame their fears...
ReplyDeleteSome things looks scarier than they really are!
ReplyDelete@ Danette - and I would think it is good to be scared of bees, because they can sting if provoked. And the difference in outlook between a country girl and city bred kids is huge, isn't it?
ReplyDelete@ Margot - thank you. It is so true for people, isn't it? We are always suspicious of anyone different from us, but when you really get to know them, you find they are just people.
@ Alex - how did you guess?!
@ Clarissa - thank you. And yes, we do fear the unknown more than it needs to be feared, don't we?
@ Tricia - I love dragonflies too. Unfortunately, they are very rare in the city.
@ Debra - even if it did, I am not telling.
@ Oddyoddyo13 - yes. It is almost like they swung to the other end of the spectrum.
@ Diane - and the name only makes it seem scarier.
@ Guinevere - thank you so much.
@ Jemi - most of the times, yes.
@ Rekha - thank you. And the good thing about kids is that once you show them they need not fear something, the fear goes.
@ Elizabeth - they do, don't they?
@ Danette - and I would think it is good to be scared of bees, because they can sting if provoked. And the difference in outlook between a country girl and city bred kids is huge, isn't it?
ReplyDelete@ Margot - thank you. It is so true for people, isn't it? We are always suspicious of anyone different from us, but when you really get to know them, you find they are just people.
@ Alex - how did you guess?!
@ Clarissa - thank you. And yes, we do fear the unknown more than it needs to be feared, don't we?
@ Tricia - I love dragonflies too. Unfortunately, they are very rare in the city.
@ Debra - even if it did, I am not telling.
@ Oddyoddyo13 - yes. It is almost like they swung to the other end of the spectrum.
@ Diane - and the name only makes it seem scarier.
@ Guinevere - thank you so much.
@ Jemi - most of the times, yes.
@ Rekha - thank you. And the good thing about kids is that once you show them they need not fear something, the fear goes.
@ Elizabeth - they do, don't they?
Great drabble, Rayna. And I love dragonflies. It's a beautiful picture, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosie. And I love dragonflies too myself.
ReplyDelete