I opened my eyes and was greeted by a bright beam of light shining down from the hole in the roof. The air felt nice and warm, almost toasty. What a delight! I feared I was near the ends of my lifespan, yesterday being as cold and gray as it was. I was sure summer was over, but it appears the season has merely ripened after that brief relapse. In hindsight, I should have been feeling quite curious as to what might have caused this strange development but I didn't. Gods be good, I was simply enjoying myself too much to care. I found my way outside unto the black earth and was surprised by the lack of noise. Usually at this time, this sector was packed with dangerous feet and paws, which I was always careful to avoid. It felt weird... being this free, I mean. Usually, when they see me they start screaming and there's always a rush to see who can get to me first. The first time it happened I thought they were merely excited and wanted to say hello. As it turns out, they wanted to kill me. Oh well, such is life.
I was feeling peckish, and as I tweaked my feelers I realized that not far from me a treat was awaiting. Someone had obviously realized this as well since it was already occupied. I decided to approach nonetheless. It was a wonderful prime rib, green and everything! Its occupants, the flies, left me alone, as did I them. I did flutter my wings a little - just as a warning though - and they kept away. I was trying to rush, as opportunities like these didn't come around too often and, even when they did, they usually came by to shoo me away. This was bizarre, as my understanding was that ever since coyote's unspeakable act, meat had become an acceptable snack. Even so, most animals seemed to think of Unupit's whispers as disturbing. I wasn't a fan myself, since the voice I was sure belonged to the God kept insisting upon calling the my treats "trash". The meaning of the word was lost on me but the Family had led me to believe that it was synonymous with "undesired". Weird.
Once sated, I was free to ponder on some mysteries that had thus far eluded my consciousness. I had noted the lack of the usual boisterous crowd and the calmness this conferred unto me. What I had failed to see was the absence of all other living things, most notably, members of the Family. I was confounded. Now that I thought about it... boisterousness was not always the order of the day, but neither was this kind of extreme tranquility.
It's a common misconception that us cockroaches are a little dim. In fact, we are quite capable of methodological analysis and decision making, which is why I quickly reached a reasonable conclusion. I appeared to be completely alone (except for the flies). Oh. Oh, this was good. An abundance of food, freedom, space... All of it at my disposal. What might have elicited this kind of catastrophe was none of my business; the gods would have surely planned it so. I had already decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
Except it didn't last. I mean, the solitude did, but my enjoyment of it did not. Soon I found myself missing the constant push of the other brown bodies next to mine in our below-the-street caves. I even got sick of the plentiful meals. I realized part of the glee of finding food was going to the Family with the news. The Family was gone, hence the glee was gone. At first I considered befriending the flies, but they died so quickly, it was impossible to create any kind of real bond. Apparently having it all is for naught when companionship is missing. I was soon depressed.
Arantza Pineda
Ruben Salinas
