Peach – The Dragonfly Chaser

Peach’s eyes sparked at the sight of stick-like silvery-winged insects resting on some blades of grass.

Dragonflies strayed in the grassy part of Payatas when rubbish had not yet occupied a vast area of it. Young as she was, Peach saw elegance in dragonflies.  She would go out and walk along wild, tall grasses chasing after them, innocently hoping she would grab one with her bare hands if she was just quick enough.

Apple would silently laugh at her younger sister’s amusement. She viewed this task nothing but a meaningless obsession – as if her collecting of anime cards was any better. Meanwhile, Kiwi and Sany were lured by the same object, thus they tagged along after Peach wherever the hunting game took her – caves, vacant lots, privately-owned lands similar to ranches, except there were no horses. They would explore these places without thinking of distance or danger.

Peach’s persistence could not make up for her lack of hunting tools and skills. The quest for a single tiny dragonfly perhaps needed a stroke of genius or luck, or, perhaps a rare combination of both. At any rate, Peach went on chasing dragonflies.

One fateful day, Kiwi and Sany found a new and fruitful engagement (cliché alert: paper dolls) and abruptly decided to leave Peach alone in her fruitless mission. All by herself, she traced a familiar trail, determined to capture her first dragonfly.

That was the day luck finally favored Peach. At last, triumph was in her hands. Apple, who was at that time running an errand, gapingly witnessed every moment of Peach’s successful conquest.

Peach knew by heart the exact spot where dragonflies lingered during hot and breezy days. She would obsessively observe their movements yet repeatedly fail to touch their wings as they would dart away too quickly.

She tried many times to grab one with her thumb and index finger but every attempt was unsuccessful. Not until she learned how to noiselessly move toward the dragonfly and deftly hold it while it was resting on a leaf. Her efforts paid off.

The mighty captor, wildly grinning, waved the insect in the air and stared at it for a fleeting forever.