Mantis

By Jeffrey Clayton Phillips

Life was good for the young praying mantis named Perton. He had finally found the love of his life in the beautiful Sandria, and they were to be married! However, their wedding night did not go at all as he anticipated. Horror and chaos ensued. Forced to flee, Perton, along with a few trusted friends, must face terrifying predators, vicious gangsters, and, ultimately, an invading army that threatens his entire world.

Meanwhile, Sandria still has designs on him. Perton harbors plans for his own vengeance, as well.

Will he be able to overcome his past, meet his challenges, and rise to the demands of an uncertain future?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781648018046

Book preview

Chapter 1

Perton clung sure-footedly in what seemed to be a precarious position on the end of the flimsy plant stalk. His green coloring blended perfectly with the foliage, making his over three-inch frame difficult to spot upon casual observation. Like all praying mantises, he wielded an impressive pair of forearms. Though growing fast, he was young and at the age where boyhood dreams still compete successfully with emerging maturity and all that it entails.

On this particular day, Perton was more the boy than man, lacking patience and giving up in catching something to eat. With an awkward leap, he left the stalk, unfolded his wings, and flew clumsily to another perch. He landed with a rush and a youthful laugh of exuberance. It was not easy trying to fly while balancing your thorax, head, and forearms out in front like that. His mind wandered back to the not-too-distant past, when he was very tiny, and, like his many siblings, was still testing his wings. Over time, his siblings had all gone away, either eaten by predators or moved on to establish themselves elsewhere. He could not think of them without thinking of his mother. Though she had mothered many young ones, Perton had always been her favorite.

Perton, she once said, of all your brothers, you remind me of your father the most. He was a great man.

Perton had always wondered about his father and sometimes asked, Mother, how come I never met my father? She would only say that he had made a great sacrifice for his children. Though he wanted to, he was unable to stick around after. Perton told her, I’m sure he misses you, Mother. You’re the most beautiful mantis ever!

She laughed, hugged him, and said, You’re so sweet, Perton. One day, you will catch the eye of a beautiful lady mantis. Almost inaudibly, she murmured, Though I hope not anytime soon. Perton wondered at the sadness in her eyes, which she failed to hide.

Good thing you’re not a mosquito or I might have eaten you, unaware as you are!

Perton jerked from his reverie and found his friend Maggio hovering near him, grinning like a fool. Bite me, Maggio! With a laugh, the shiny blue-green dragonfly gracefully settled in next to him on the branch. Perton, noticing his friend’s wings hanging lower than usual, said, You seem a little tired.

A little, replied Maggio with a slight smile.

Let me guess, up all night talking to your girlfriend? Maggio only continued to smile, a mischievous glint twinkling in all his eyes. Well then, said Perton in mock surprise, if you were talking to her, who the hell was I talking to?

Ha! Very funny, Perton, said Maggio, playfully punching at his friend. She wouldn’t give you a minute of her time.

Chuckling, Perton raised his big forearms and said, Really, you wanna spar with these?

With that, the two young men began to tussle as only rambunctious boys do, sharpening with mirthful sport skills that might someday be necessary in vital affairs. After a little while, when the seemingly inexhaustible energy of youth somewhat slackened, the boys settled back down.

Having worked up an appetite, Maggio declared, I’m hungry. Let’s go by the pond and eat some mosquitoes.

I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go to the pasture and get the slow fat mosquitoes coming off the cows.

Excellent choice, my friend.

On that note, the two youths—one clumsy, one graceful—flew off to a feast at the pasture.

Chapter 2

The next day, Perton was admiring his reflection as he dangled from an overhanging reed a few inches above a still pool in a small stream. He was rather proud of his forearms, posing this way and that to search for his best angle.

Hmm, he thought, both arms above my head or one forward and one back?

From below came the voice of Christian the crayfish. Perton, you always come here checking yourself out. You’re so vain. I’m starting to wonder about you. Then Christian raised his claws to his face in sudden alarm. Oh, wait! Don’t tell me you’re putting on this display for my benefit!

Perton cocked his head and said, You wish, you jackass!

Christian hefted his claws and said, Good, because I know how to use these, chump!

Go away, Christian. You’re rippling the surface of my mirror. I gotta make sure I look good in case I meet someone special. At Christian’s skeptical look he added, yelling, A woman!

With a last doubtful glance, the crayfish scuttled away.

Of late, Perton found that he was constantly thinking of women. He had always thought them pretty, but now he was filled with passionate longings that drove him to distraction. It was an itch within himself that demanded to be scratched. Taking one last look at his reflection, he decided to find Maggio. Perhaps the dragonfly had some insight into the matter.

Chapter 3

It’s completely natural for you to be feeling this way, Perton, exclaimed Maggio. You’re becoming a man!

But my emotions are all in shambles! wailed Perton. One minute, I’m on top of the world, and the next, I’m angry and frustrated. I can’t focus, even to eat. While hunting, I had a meal land—yes, land—on my forearms, and I missed it because I was thinking of girls! I want a girlfriend, like what you have!

Believe me, Perton, once women enter the picture, then the confusion truly begins. But it is also wonderful. Wonderful and mysterious. As he said the last, the dragonfly had a faraway look in his eyes.

Oh, great! Now you’re daydreaming about girls too. How can you help me if we’ve both got our heads in the clouds?

Maggio’s huge eyes refocused and pinned Perton with a look that practically sizzled with suppressed excitement. Perton, Cassie and I mated!

"You what!"

Lower your arms, Perton. You look ridiculous.

In his astonishment, Perton had reared back on his last pair of legs. Assuming a more dignified position, he repeated himself, "You what! Are you serious? The look in Maggio’s eyes said it all. Perton was excited for his friend, sure, even happy for him, but at the same time, he could not suppress a hot blast of jealousy and—he hated to admit it—resentment. At last, he stammered, How… I mean, when? Where?"

Well, Cassie and I were flying together over the pond like usual a few days ago—

A few days ago? And you wait until now to tell me?

Sorry, Perton. Cassie asked me to keep it quiet. When you brought the subject up, I couldn’t keep it from you. Don’t be mad. The big eyes were starting to look sad.

Of course I’m not mad. Well, not really…just jealous all right. But I am happy for you. So you were flying over the pond…

Brightening, Maggio continued, Yes, and then Cassie bumps into me. She’s never clumsy, but then she teased me that I can’t catch her. She raced across the pond into that big clump of cattails. When I get there, I can’t find her. So I turned around, about to fly up for a better perspective, when I hear her whisper behind me.

What did she say?

Just my name. The way she said it though, it made me tingle. She was looking at me like she could see something that no one else could. It made me feel special, having her look at me that way. We both hovered like that, a bit uncertainly. Then gradually, we came together. We grasped each other and flew intertwined. We circled together and mated, oblivious to the world around us. Don’t laugh, Perton. When I finished, I lost control and bumped us into a cattail stalk!

Maggio, I’m filled with envy, but that is a beautiful story. I’m glad for both of you, really.

Thanks, buddy. Oh, and Perton?

Yes?

Please, don’t tell Cassie I told you!

Chapter 4

As Maggio began spending more and more time with Cassie, Perton found himself increasingly alone. He understood Maggio was still his friend, of course, and what was happening was perfectly natural. Cassie did have a strikingly shiny exoskeleton along with a sweet disposition. It was easy to see why his friend was so mesmerized by her. It was not as if the lady dragonfly did anything wrong, but Perton still harbored some small, perhaps irrational, grudge against his friend’s girlfriend. He did not exactly blame Cassie. After all, Maggio made his own decisions. The dragonflies even tried to get Perton to hang out with them. Sometimes he did, if only to be polite. When the dragonflies were together, they were in their own bubble. As friendly as they were, Perton still felt awkward and intrusive. Reflecting on his current forlorn state, the young mantis sighed. His time would come. He just had to be patient.

To keep busy, while Maggio was with Cassie, Perton would explore his surroundings. He ranged along the edges of fields and chatted with the grasshoppers. Sometimes he would climb up trees and visit with the cicadas or the katydids. He would often perch upon the highest limbs of the trees and enjoy the rhythmic swaying of the branches in the warm breezes as he bathed in the sunlight. Always, he would hunt. He was nearly full grown now, reveling in the power coursing through his limbs.

On a particularly fine morning, Perton decided to head to his favorite reflecting pool and check out his development. He also thought it would be good to catch up with Christian. The crayfish was one of the few creatures he associated with that did not exhibit at least some wariness in his presence. Perton was, after all, pretty much at the top of the food chain. When he arrived at the pool, he called out to Christian, but his friend did not appear. Perhaps he was still asleep under a rock.

Christian!

No answer. The crayfish could be up or downstream, visiting others of his kind. Even the water bugs and the various aquatic insect larvae seemed to be absent. He had the little pool to himself. Perton took a moment to enjoy the solitude. The temperature was neither hot nor cold, just perfect, and the humidity felt just right. The somewhat steep banks were cloaked in vibrant green moss with abundant ferns adding to the sheltered atmosphere. The morning sun was up, but here on the forest floor the clear light had been transformed by the canopy above, which cast a soothing green glow upon the scene. Spots of bright sunlight would abruptly appear, dance for a moment, and vanish as the leaves responded to the gentle wind. Rich, clean smells of a healthy forest added to the pleasure of the moment. Perton, letting the contentment of the place seep into his being, mounted his viewing reed, a green silhouette in a green haze mirrored in a green pool. For long moments, Perton posed, brandishing his forearms above the water, occasionally getting splashed by intermittent sprinkles of sunshine, but mostly he was shrouded in the soft green glow.

While he was in the midst of shifting poses, a very feminine voice called from the bank. Very impressive arms, but I particularly like your cute little backside!

With a startled yelp, Perton fell off his perch into the pool. He came up spluttering and yelled, Who’s there?

At first, he could see nothing but a wall of green along the bank. But then, as if arranged by fate itself, a dash of bright sunlight suddenly illuminated a mossy rock protruding from the shore. On it was…nothing.

I’m on this side of the stream, dipshit!

Oh!

Spinning around, Perton saw her. Perched sedately on a fern, looking down at him in the pool, was the most beautiful mantis in the world. For a long moment, Perton could only stare. He often tried to envision the perfect female mantis. Indeed, the majority of his daydreams were spent creating within his mind an image of the loveliest of possibilities. Now looking at this breathtaking lady, he realized his musings did not even come close. She was so beautiful that it seemed to emanate from an inexhaustible well within her, making everything around her lovelier. It was infectious too, and Perton caught it. His new eyes could see the magic in the world.

At last, mustering what dignity he could, Perton paddled his way to the mossy bank, keeping his eyes on her lest she vanish like the dancing glimpses of sunshine. With solid footing upon the moss, he flourished his forearms and executed a surprisingly well-polished bow. Smiling, he said, Hello, my name is Perton.

The lovely lady sedately made her way along the fern, until it dipped down beneath her weight, bringing her close to Perton. With a settled look of satisfaction, she responded, You are who I have been seeking, Perton. Well met. I am Sandria.

Chapter 5

Perton and Sandria spent the rest of the day getting to know each other. They strolled along the forest floor to the edge of the meadow, leaving the mix of shadows and green luminescence in favor of the bright sunlight in the open.

To Perton, the woods, the grass, and the air itself seemed to have been draped in an invisible mantle of wondrous joy. Since meeting Sandria, he could see it all so clearly. He found her to be endlessly fascinating. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny, and hypnotically fluid in her movements. And the way she looked at him! Now he understood what Maggio was saying. Not just grasping the concept, but truly knowing feelings deeper than what cognitive processes can only unsuccessfully expound upon. He was not lost in her eyes; he was found in them. She did not look right through him; she looked right into him. It was as if her eyes cast the power of her perception into his very innermost being, and that power bounced back to her with all that it discovered. Except the power of her gaze did not bounce off him, but rather embraced him, caressed his heart and soul, and returned to her with what it found, linking the two of them in shared understanding. Sandria seemed to like what she was seeing, and Perton liked having her look at him. Like Maggio said of Cassie, it made him feel special. He could not stop looking at her.

For a long time, they sat side by side on the end of a perfect hunting branch, swaying together in the gentle wind, ignoring prey, and gazing into each other’s eyes, not speaking but sharing much. When the shadows began to reach for the approaching darkness, Sandria stirred.

I must go, she said.

Perton thought she looked, if possible, even more lovely as the orange light of the setting sun bounced off her gorgeous features. Stay with me, he pleaded.

Laughing, she replied, Oh, Perton! We mustn’t rush anything. Today was absolutely perfect!

Where will you go?

As she flitted to another perch, she called back, A lady needs some secrets.

Can I see you tomorrow?

Meet me here when the sun is high. With that, she flitted away into the diminishing light, as all the colors of the landscape merged together into one.

Perton remained there on the branch for quite some time, staring at the spot Sandria had vacated. He even settled there himself for a while as if he could embrace some remnant of her delightful presence. The world came alive with the sounds of tree frogs and a vast multitude of nocturnal insects, many of whom were calling for mates. Lightning bugs twinkled here and there, dotting the dark countryside with sprinkles of light in the vast enveloping chorus of the night. Perton did not sing, but he felt like giving voice to the soaring feeling within himself.

All around him, creatures sought out mates. Perton had found the one who would be his mate. Well, actually, she had found him. He was filled with a thrilling sense of euphoric excitement at the promise his future held. He was giddy. He was also ravenous. Caught up in his thoughts, he had not