Eleonora Balsano

Fact: The larvae of holometabolous insects bear no resemblance to the adults.

When I held your hand, people stared.

Is she—?

All her father, you said.

Like it’s a curse.

Fact: When a larva becomes a pupa, it will stop eating and moving.

If you couldn’t love me, I’d become as light as the feather on your felt hat.

Fact: When the adult leaves the pupa, it relaxes under the sun while its exoskeleton hardens.

When I finally ran, you yelled that I wouldn’t last a week. Yet here I am now, sorting through your belongings.

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This story won First Prize in the May 2021 Monthly Micro Competition.

About the author: Eleonora Balsano is a journalist and writer. Her first novel, A Crack In The Wall, is currently under submission. She lives in Brussels with her husband and three sons.