Competition Fourteen Shortlisted: Pursuit by Stephen Leatherdale
Rural England, 1935
Pearson awoke from a dream about butterflies, pinned and arranged in ranks inside glass cases.
Fresh from his latest flight, with another broken heart added to the glass case of his vanity, Pearson contemplated his new bolthole. It was perfect – he was miles from anywhere, at the end of a branch line. Sanctuary.
His rented room afforded a view of bleak marshland. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at the barren expanse. To his delight, he noticed a young woman, alternately walking and crouching as she made her way across the viscous ground. Beneath her wide-brimmed hat, Pearson discerned uncommon beauty. He had found another specimen to add to his collection.
Within minutes, he was beside her.
“Good afternoon, my name is Pearson. I find myself alone in town, rather looking for company. Would you care to join me in taking tea?”
Her eyes did not stray from a leaf she was studying.
“What on earth are you looking for?” he asked irritably, dropping his smooth facade.
“Things that creep and crawl,” she answered, her attention remaining on the leaf. “I am studying entomology for my degree.”
Pearson fell silent, his attention shifting skywards. Whilst the student had been speaking, a swarm of bees had gathered above them.
“Drones,” the young woman explained. “Awaiting the Queen. They mate with her, then die.”
“Gosh, poor things,” he murmured, transfixed by the bees’ frenzied jostling.
She looked at him for the first time. Her grey eyes were cool and haughty.
“I think the chase is by far the best part, Mr Pearson,” she replied. Pearson’s heart quickened. The woman began to walk further onto the marsh. Pearson followed, heedless to all but the pursuit.
A dense mist began to close in.
I am an self-published author, living on the North Sea Coast in the UK. The landscape inspires me to create character-driven short stories for my website and for self-publishing..
Photo courtesy of Stephen Leatherdale
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