generally insects are quite small but in comparison to most insects this one was a giant. and due to its enormous size (it would take something a shade smaller than a pingpong ball to encase him) it suffered from all sorts of problems smaller insects would never experience.
for instance, it took a great deal of space for it to be able to flap his wings hard enough to lug its hefty body off any surface. i watched it crawl back and forth in the space between a paper box with a bottle of ink in it and the small ledge of my window that allows fingers to grasp and pull upwards, fruitlessly flapping and pacing frustratedly, occasionally taking breaks.
finally it crawled to the outside of the books next to the box and took off. it wobbled a bit upon takeoff, and who wouldn’t, carrying that dark glistening mass, whose upper third was covered with a thick pale yellow fur with a faded black dot on it, on those thinner than paper, already too large yet proportionally quite small, almost translucent wings?
it maneuvered itself and fell onto the pane of a different window, finding a cold slippery surface upon which its little legs could not grab ahold of anything, looking exactly the color of open air, blue sky — looking just like freedom.
it was at this point i found the occasion was ripe to slowly place my recently emptied glass of orange juice over its head, and slide a piece of construction paper beneath its dainty legs.
finally i set it out on the window ledge and it took off, floating into the spring breeze.
hog maw 