Shannon Costello

1) Initially I assumed that the thumbnail-sized head bobbing in the water belonged to a turtle, but as our canoe drew nearer I realized the swimmer was actually a slender brown snake. I leaned forward, fascinated. He looked fixedly back at me, frozen in place. Then there was a flurry of motion. His body swirled soundlessly in several directions at once as he gathered himself to flee and was gone. He left only a cloud of muddy water.

2) My stroll to the mailbox was interrupted by a loud intermittent buzzing almost at my feet. A fat cicada on his back was being attacked by a disturbingly large bee. The cicada buzzed and flopped about, but the bee held him fast. I could hear his shell cracking as the bee began to eat him alive. I squatted down to watch. By and by the buzzing grew less, and the cicada was nearly still. Finally the bee rose, circling about as if to mark the spot — or was my presence irritating him? His circles got larger and wider and I took off running down the sidewalk.

3) My school paraphernalia was stored in the trunk. I had opened the door and was nearly in the car when I saw him. A hawk was sitting on the garage roof. His length startled me; he seemed too long for his width. I wanted CJ to see him, but as I started for the front door he spread his wings and sailed away.