Flitter, Skye and the Fabled Wings

I sat down on the bench, admiring the way the setting sun illuminated the buildings of the city I called home. It wasn't always like this. When I was young, this place was a dump. It's where I grew up, for better or for worse.

"I love it here," I said.

I didn't need to turn around to know Flitter was there. I've known her since I was just a little girl. She's been by my side ever since. I heard a soft nickering and I felt her nose touch my back. I smiled and patted her head.

"Where have you been all day?" I asked.

She nuzzled me again, almost playfully. I turned around and scratched her between the ears. Her whole body relaxed under my fingers. She'd been stressed lately. I could tell. I guess it's not that surprising, really. After all, she's been watching over me for as long as I can remember. I'd be pretty stressed out, too.

"I'm gonna take you out for a ride tomorrow, okay? It's been ages since we've gone anywhere."

Flitter seemed happy at the idea. I love taking her for a run. We used to do it all the time when I was younger. But then my mom got sick, and I had to go live with my aunt. And Flitter had to stay behind. At first, it was okay. But then I got older and started going to school. I missed her so much. I wrote letters to her every day, and sent them to my mom's house. She'd write me back every week, telling me how well she was doing, and how much she missed us both. My dad never wrote back. I never expected him to, but I still hated it. Even today, I hate it.

"You hungry, girl?" I asked.

I stood up and she followed me. We walked to the corner deli. Flitter always loved their hot dogs. I bought her one and some water, and then we found a place to sit. I watched the people go by as I ate my sandwich. Most of them didn't notice me and Flitter, which was sort of nice. Sometimes I just wanna be left alone, you know?

I was about to fall asleep when I noticed something strange. The sun had set, but the sky was still light. Or at least, it seemed light to me. A moment later, I realized that wasn't true. The sky was dark, except for the stars. And they were moving quickly.

"Uh, Flitter? What's going on?"

She was already on her feet. I turned around to look at her. For a second, I thought she looked different. She was glowing. Then I realized: she was glowing. I could see through her, like she wasn't even there.

"What the hell is this?!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet.

Flitter went rigid. She whinnied, almost desperately, and looked up. I followed her gaze and saw something. Something I'd never seen before. Not in real life.

It was a butterfly. A huge butterfly. Bigger than my house. Bigger than the stadium my dad used to take me to watch the Red Sox play. Bigger than anything I'd ever seen before. And it was moving. I could see it's wings flapping, even though I knew that wasn't possible. It was flying right towards me. Then it stopped.

The butterfly hovered right above my head. The entire sky became dark. There was just the butterfly and nothing else. Whatever was happening, it was happening right in front of me. I could hear Flitter whinnying and nickering frantically. I tried to reach out to her to calm her down, but she was too far away.

Then, just like that, everything went black.

I screamed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could feel the wind moving against my face, but I couldn't see anything. I couldn't see anything at all. Except for the glowing butterfly. It was even bigger than before. It was more than twice as big as me now. And it was close. Too close.

And then, it happened. It moved. The butterfly flew right into me. I felt it's wings brush against my body. I felt its legs circle my neck. And then I felt it inside me. I felt it move. I felt it breathe. I felt it think. And then, suddenly, I could think, too.

My name is Skye Abernathy. I'm ten years old. And I'm dead.