Chrysalis Days & Butterfly Nights [Wattys 2023 Shortlist]

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The sounds of Krystal's laughter filled the flat above Butterfly as she rolled around the floor, Toby's curled tail waving furiously as they played. Lucinda couldn't leave her dog at home overnight and Helen had agreed he could stay. But only for the one night. Moving boxes dotted the living room, filled with all manner of things, some of which Lucinda didn't want to imagine, but she felt certain she had heard buzzing in one of those boxes becoming lazy and dying away as the batteries drained.

Tonight, Butterfly closed its doors for the final time. The staff party, a few days later, didn't count. This was the last time Butterfly would give sanctuary to the diverse peoples of the city. Lucinda worried for Helen, but she appeared to have rallied over the last few hours, though she still hadn't apologised to anyone for her outburst at Polly. She hadn't returned to Butterfly, but Annalise had.

"Manchester." Helen came to sit beside Lucinda, dropping onto the sofa with a heavy sigh. She hadn't sat still for hours. "I'm going to be a little fish in a big pond. Still, fresh meat to devour. A whole new city of cocks that I've never had before."

"Good football all around Manchester." Lucinda considered the area in those terms, even though her own days of playing football had ended weeks before. She couldn't stand the atmosphere. "And a huge gay scene, too, I suppose. You'll take the place by storm!"

"Leeds sounded nice." Holding Toby at arms length, avoiding the lashing of his tongue, Krystal joined in. "They have a good football team, don't they?"

"Debatable." It felt odd talking about football with Krystal and Helen. That was Andy's province. "Now you know where you're going, it must be a relief, right? A job. A new home. I still don't know where I'm going to live and the house sale will complete before too long."

"Come with us. We can destroy Manchester together. Or stay around here." Helen jumped up again, raising her arms above her head in a pose. "I came into your life like a blazing star! I'd hate to leave it showing you the Moon."

She turned, flipping her skirt up and exposing her knicker-clad backside. That was Helen, but it had a sense of emptiness to the gesture. Lucinda didn't want to lose her friends, but she wasn't certain about leaving the town where she had grown up. Not that it felt at all welcoming anymore. When she thought about it, it wasn't the town where she had grown up, it was where Luke had grown up, with all that that entailed.

With a glance at the clock, Helen groaned. It was time to head downstairs. Helen to get ready to hit the stage and Lucinda to stock the bottle bar. Krystal had volunteered to stay with Toby, only coming downstairs to watch Helen's final set and the finale, where every performer would take to the stage for one, last show. Toby would be fine alone for that.

As the doors opened, it seemed like the entire population of the city had come to watch the demise and fall of Butterfly. More people trailing into the main hall than Lucinda had ever seen and she began to feel more than a little exposed as she headed into the Quiet Room. That room, too, had started to fill up and soon Lucinda didn't have the time to worry about so many people seeing her dressed.

In truth, she didn't feel anywhere near as awkward as she had expected. These days, she spent more time dressed than she did in drab. Luke had taken a backseat and it now felt more than a little odd at those times the male side of her had to take his turn in the spotlight. Lucinda had become the dominant persona. Lucinda was herself, more often than not.

"Hello! Beautiful Lucinda! Looking a little stretched and stressful!" Annalise. She had said she would come and Lucinda felt glad about that. She shouted over the unusual din of the Quiet Room, leaning over the bar. "Where were all these people when this place needed them?"