Cally quivered waiting for the signal.  Ameena was to her left.  Beyond her was their cousin Hama.  To Cally’s right were Gerald and Triv.  All were poised, examining the green foliage above their heads, marking obstacles, planning routes.  She heard old Edi inhale, tensed, and took off from the dark, damp soil at the first syllable.  Triv was just as quick off the surface, and she and Cally were neck-and-neck as they passed the first leaves.  It was the Top-Down Race – a race to the top of the tomato plant that was their home, then back to the soil. 

The contestants spread out as they swerved between the broad green leaves and branches.  Spectators cheered from the leaves as they sped by on their way to the top.  Gerald tried to nudge past Cally, pushing her toward one of the large lower branches.  She avoided it by banking sharply and caught up to Gerald, knocking him under a leaf as she zipped by. 

Triv had a solid lead now.  Cally could gain slowly over the rest of the race and probably take a close second, but that involved losing.  She needed an advantage, but obstacles were starting to thin out as they neared the top.  Cally spotted a cluster of yellow flowers, one of the highest on the plant, that Triv would circumnavigate.  Triv was great at open sprints, but she didn’t fly well in close quarters. 

Cally sped up to get as close to Triv as possible before the cluster.  Triv spared Cally a sideways glance as she drew even.  They were approaching the cluster, and Cally knew Triv wouldn’t sacrifice the speed to change course until the last possible moment.  When Triv finally swerved, Cally barreled straight into the flowers.  She brushed past the yellow petals, relying on her momentum and speed to maintain a straight path, rolled to avoid a sepal, and flew straight into the final petal, exploding out of the cluster in a shower of swirling pollen. 

Crashing through the flower cluster gained Cally several seconds.  She rounded the top and winked at the judge, then started the downward leg of the race, passing a disgruntled Triv on her way up.  The downward leg of the Top-Down Race was more dangerous.  A gnat went faster and had to think faster to avoid obstacles.  Cally whizzed past the spectators and obstacles on her way to the finish line, taking as direct a path as possible.  Diversions and detours made for a safer, but slower, descent, and Cally needed all the speed she could muster to maintain her lead.  The downward leg was Triv’s specialty, and Cally had seen her recover bigger gaps. 

As Cally entered the lower branches, she could hear Triv steadily gaining.  The leaves were broader and thicker now, and Cally finally had to detour around one of the largest.  Triv was close behind her, and now there was nothing between them and the surface.  Triv’s natural prowess at sprinting would serve her well until she had to pull up to land.  Gambling on Triv’s caution and her own willingness to take a hit, Cally refused to slow down before her opponent.  When Triv finally pulled out of her dive, Cally held on for a few seconds longer.  She landed hard in a spray of soil – but she landed first and was greeted with a roar from the crowd.  Triv settled next to her, exasperated. 

“Are you trying to achieve your Ending like Palli before we even make it to the Looming?” 

Cally grinned.  “Palli loved the Top-Down and wanted nothing more than to achieve his Ending by flying full speed face-first into the finishing soil.”  She brushed soil off her shaking wings.  “I, on the other wing, simply executed a dramatic landing.” 

“Cally, you made a crater.” 

Cally paused, admiring the small indentation she’d created.  “So I did,” she agreed.  She tried to stand up and noted her slightly throbbing thorax and abdomen.  “I may have been a…skosh over-exuberant,” she grimaced. 

Ameena smiled as she skittered by with Hama on their way to the elders and race officials.  “Mom and Dad would have been proud.” 

Cally beamed.  Their parents had made a joint ending when they were still larvae. One of the Looming had wandered near and their parents hadn’t been able to resist the warm air it expelled.  The two had danced with the Looming for several minutes before receiving their Ends.  Cally and Ameena had dreamed about the event for much of their larvahood. 

Triv supported Cally on the right as she slowly rose from the soil and Gerald sidled up on the left, having daintily alighted on the soil dead last.  They skittered over to the crowd.  Gerald gave the crater an enthusiastic nod as they left. 

“That would have been one awesome Ending!  You should have come in faster, Cal.” 

“I didn’t want to End just yet.” 

Triv rolled her eyes.  “You mean it wouldn’t have been spectacular enough for you.” 

“Would you want to be listed in the same category as Palli?” Gerald asked.  “I bet Cally will have one of the most creative Endings the Lycopa swarm has ever seen!” 

The trio reached the crowd of onlookers, which had thinned with the end of the race.  Ameena and Hama were discussing the course with some of the judges while a small group of larvae with stars in their eyes listened in.  Old Edi broke away from the crowd to meet them and heard Gerald’s comment.  She smiled. 

“If Cally had chosen, this race would have been a perfectly acceptable Ending, but one that would have faded in memory.  I am glad that she has not deprived the swarm of a spectacular dance with the Looming.” 

Hearing this, the group of larvae shivered with excitement and whispered intently among themselves.  Edi shooed them away.  Ameena skittered over to them with Hama close behind her. 

“Edi, is it really okay for us to participate as a group?” she asked.  “I know the Looming sometimes don’t react well to large numbers of pilgrims.” 

“The Looming are fickle,” Edi agreed, “but if the five of you follow the guidelines we discussed, at least two or three of you should make a fantastic Ending.  Maybe even all of you.”  She smiled at the retreating larvae stealing longing glances back at their group.  “I have no doubt you will be excellent examples for the larvae, no matter the outcome.  Now,” she said briskly, “it’s time for the recitation.” 

The mature gnats followed Edi as she skittered toward the base of the tomato plant, a massive green trunk that rose out of the dark soil.  Immediately next to it was the tan trunk – branchless, flowerless, perfectly straight, greater in girth – that rose through the green foliage and supported the green.  A crowd of gnats and larvae were milling about, waiting for the recitation.  It was widely agreed that Edi was the greatest reciter the Lycopa swarm had ever had, and young and old loved to listen to her.  Cally and the others settled at the back as Edi continued to the two trunks.  A hush fell over the crowd as she settled to the soil. 

“Countless lives ago, our ancestors emerged from the soil as larvae.  The great tomato plant we know today was smaller, but still towered over them.  With no one to guide or take care of them, they were doomed to die, for there was little food among the roots.  As they wandered hopelessly, a vast presence loomed over them.  It raised a great vessel and out of it came the first deluge.  Clear, cold water poured in a single great stream from the sky.  It soaked the surface and percolated deep into the inner soil, feeding not only the roots, but also our food that grows among them. 

“The life-giving deluges continued on an almost daily basis, nurturing our ancestors until they grew to maturity and had larvae of their own.  Without the Looming, the Lycopa swarm would have perished before it ever had a chance, and they were grateful.  Curious gnats could perch on the hardened outer limits of our home and observe the Looming moving through space, altering the arrangement of the world, generating noises that could alter flight paths, and creating smells that could attract or repel.  The air that the Looming expelled from their upper reaches was particularly alluring.  Even when the Looming could not be seen, our ancestors knew they were present.  The Looming control the water, which provides us with everything we need.  There is nothing a gnat can offer the Looming in gratitude for their care, and the Looming would overlook anything offered. 

“Despite this, the desire to be close to the Looming is ingrained in all gnats.  When a gnat feels the draw of the Looming, they will fly into the world to greet them.  The exact motivation is different for each gnat.  Some wish to experience the thrill of being close to the Looming and bask in the intoxicating warm air they expel.  Others wish to challenge them, feeling threatened or angry due to a perceived transgression.  All gnats approach the Looming prepared to meet their End.  Many go for the express purpose of having the Looming take their life, just as they have given it.  This is the way of our world, and, Looming willing, it will remain this way.

“Though a gnat has the right to seek the Looming at any point in their mature life, five of our swarm will shortly fly out to encounter the Looming for the first time.  Whatever outcome transpires is the will of the Looming, whether they make an Ending or are allowed to return to our soil and serve the swarm until the desire builds in them again.”  Edi smiled at Cally and the others.  “May they find everything they are looking for.” 

Silence greeted the end of Edi’s recitation.  The mature gnats were contemplating their relationship with the Looming.  The larvae were imagining the day they would be allowed to meet the Looming.  Cally and the others were thinking ahead to their first encounter so close at wing. 

One brave larva near the front spoke up.  “Edi, how many times have you encountered the Looming?” 

The larva was instantly hushed by her mother, but old Edi smiled warmly.  “I have been to the Looming four times, and each time I have returned to the swarm.  I am too old now to fly out to the Looming a fifth time, and I will meet my End quietly and return my body to the soil from which it came.  This is as honorable an Ending as any because the Looming have allowed me to give back to the swarm.”  A noise beyond the hardened outer edges of their home caught her attention.  Excited whispering rippled through the crowd.  She smiled.  “It is time.” 

Edi rose and skittered her way through the crowd.  Cally and the others rose and followed her to the raised outer edges.  The clear material contained their soil, the tomato plant’s roots, their food, and their larvae.  Many of the Lycopa swarm flew to the hardened edges to watch the encounter.  The larvae pressed their faces against the clear edges at the soil level.  From their perch, the five gnats could see one of the Looming in its favored position on the large, long ledge that sank beneath its massive weight.  It was partially covered by the Moving Black Plains, on top of which was set one of the many light emitters the Looming possessed. 

“Remember,” Edi said, “if you wish to land on the Looming, come at it from behind.  If you fly near the top between the Looming and the light emitter you have a high chance of an Ending.  The Looming seem large and slow, but they are fast when irritated.  Do what you are called to do.” 

They took off to a swell of cheers from the swarm.  Cally was eager, but nervous.  She didn’t think she was ready for her Ending, but she desperately wanted to experience the Looming.  Edi and others the Looming had sent back said they radiated immense amounts of heat from their pale surfaces.  She wanted to feel that energy. 

They flew around behind the Looming, and Cally spotted an open area at the back, below the long plants that grew from the Looming’s summit.  She was the first to break from the group.  The others continued to circle, looking for their own goals.  Cally knew Gerald wanted to make an offering of himself, like his mother.  Triv had always been fascinated with the Looming’s outer adornments, particularly the clear barriers it wore in front of its wet orbs.  Ameena and Hama had been less forthcoming about their desires, but Cally saw Hama split from the group and head for one of the open caverns on the side of the Looming’s summit. 

The heat rose as Cally got closer to the surface, past anything the sunlight passing through the clear barriers had done in their home.  Cally landed on the surface of the Looming below the long plants, which were gathered together in a mass above.  The heat washed over her and Cally shivered with exhilaration.  She walked among the much shorter plants that grew from the pale surface.  She was surprised to feel vibrations rising up through the surface.  They were accompanied by faint rumbling that seemed to emanate from deep underground.  It was a slow, measured rhythm that she only noticed when she remained still for a long time. 

Cally was enjoying the soft feel of the shorter plants when the vibrations changed.  The surface undulated strangely, and the vibrations became fast and irregular.  Most disconcerting, the Looming started to emit deafening sounds.  Cally tried to ride out the turmoil, but it lasted so long she had to take off.  She took off and barely avoided being crushed between the Looming’s summit and the ledge’s vertical wall.  She went looking for her companions, certain it was their presence that had caused the upheaval. 

Around the front, the Looming’s two upper limbs were flailing through the air.  Cally had watched the Looming from the safety of the tomato plant before, but up close it moved much faster than she had anticipated.  The deafening sounds were coming from the cavern that opened and closed on the front of its summit.  Cally could see three black figures darting here and there, trying to avoid the limbs.  The Looming bent down toward the thickly vegetated surface far below, raised a large white rippling material to the protrusion above its cavern and made a thunderous roar.  The Looming crushed the white material and dropped it over the side of the ledge out of sight. 

The Looming turned its attention back to the three gnats, crashing its limbs together. One of the gnats was caught between them.  The action was so sudden the limbs crashed together a second time before Cally could react.  Two gnats had achieved their Endings. The third gnat was trying to fly away, but the Looming was clearly going to make an End for them as well.  Cally flew straight at the Looming’s wet orbs, which Edi had said they would protect at any cost, to give the final gnat a chance to avoid an Ending if they chose, but forgot about the clear barriers. She bounced off them without reaching the orbs.  The Looming bellowed anyway and swiped blindly at her.  It barely missed, but the gust of wind in its wake sent her crashing to the ledge.  The surface was not soil but some sort of rough matted plant and she hit much harder than she had at the finish of the Top-Down. 

Cally was momentarily stunned, but otherwise functional.  She saw Triv rush by and disappear beneath an overhang on the ledge.  Cally pulled herself together enough to half skitter, half fly over and join her.  Upside down, Cally watched the Looming thunder off.  She turned to Triv, but the other gnat was fixated on something below them.  Cally looked and finally noticed the vast pit filled with the Looming’s refuse.  At the very top of the pile was the white material the Looming had discarded.  It was smeared with a clear sticky substance, and in the middle of that substance was a tiny black speck. 

Cally dropped from the overhang to investigate.  She alighted on the white material, which was soft and fuzzy where it wasn’t soiled.  Gerald’s body was in the middle of a mass of the clear, slick substance.  He hadn’t been able to make a successful offering.  Triv landed next to her, still sporting a thousand-yard stare. 

“Hama entered one of the open caverns.  It narrowed really fast and his wings brushed the walls.  That started the Looming off.”  Triv’s voice was hollow.  “I don’t think I helped by trying to fly behind the orb barriers.  Then Gerald tried to enter the Looming on the underside of that protrusion on the front of its summit and got stuck.  I guess the Looming didn’t like that.  It’s supposed to be extremely difficult to make an offering of yourself.  You saw what happened to Hama and Ameena.”  She paused.  “It was so sudden.” 

Cally glanced over.  “Do you want to go back, or do you want to wait for the Looming to return?” 

“I think three Endings are enough for one day, don’t you?” 

Cally nodded and took off.  Triv followed close behind.  On their pass over the ledge, they saw the mangled remains of Hama and Ameena.  Cally hoped they’d gotten what they wanted. 

“It was kind of exhilarating, you know?” Triv said, slowly coming back to life.  “Not knowing if you were going to survive or not.”  She glanced over at Cally.  “I know you didn’t intend to achieve an End today, but I was really up in the air about it.  I went back and forth over the whole thing.  Making an Ending is our right, but I didn’t know if I wanted it so soon.  Gerald, I get.  His mom’s Ending was amazing, and he wanted to be just like her.”  Triv paused.  “When the Looming’s limbs were coming for me, I realized I didn’t want to End, but I wouldn’t have survived if you hadn’t distracted it.  Thanks.” 

“Welcome.” 

The two flew in silence for the remainder of the trip back.  Edi and the swarm were waiting to greet them at the hardened edges.  There were as many comments made praising Cally and Triv’s return as there were about their friends’ Endings.  Cally smiled because she had seen others smile when they returned from the Looming.  She overheard Triv at one point saying that she didn’t know when her next encounter would be, but she wanted to fly to some of the other colonies first. 

That evening was unexpectedly lonely for Cally.  Triv was busy discussing the closest colony of Nepen with gnats who had been there, and the rest of her friends were gone.  Cally flew past the outer edges and descended to the lower extent of the soil.  The lower roots of the tomato plant were visible here, pressed right up against the clear walls.  Cally liked this place.  It was quiet and no one really visited but her.  She would sometimes walk along the paths of the roots to pass the time. 

It also gave her an unobstructed view of the Looming.  Both of them were seated on the ledge now.  The largest light emitter was on and making noise.  Cally saw with a lurch that several gnats were flying in their general vicinity.  She wondered if any of them would achieve an End.  She wondered if she knew any of them.  Even as the thought crossed her mind, the same Looming she had encountered earlier raised its limbs and brought them together, Ending one of the gnats.  She jumped involuntarily. 

“Endings are sometimes hard to accept,” Edi said from behind her. 

Cally glanced back guiltily.  “Why don’t I feel excited Edi?  Why am I not happy?  Encounters are supposed to be amazing.  Aren’t they?” 

Edi sighed and settled next to her.  “Though public spectacle, encounters are very private affairs.  Not everyone reacts the same way.  Some take them very poorly.  Most who do leave the colony.  It’s difficult to be surrounded by constant reminders of everyone else’s positive experiences. Others choose to remain, but struggle.  Some ultimately choose to make an End so they don’t have to think about it anymore.  Others feel as though they can make sense of the world, one day.” 

Cally stared at Edi.  “There can’t be many who think like that.  Everyone I’ve spoken with practically vibrates off the soil when describing their encounters.” 

“Those who educate and teach the larvae are those who have had the best experiences,” Edi replied.  “Not because we want to lie, but because those who didn’t enjoy their encounters simply don’t like to talk about them.  Some are ashamed they didn’t have amazing experiences, and some have actively been shamed by those who did.  I’ve worked with the other elders to quell this mindset and make sure those who did not have good encounters know they are still welcome and important members of the swarm.  Change is slow, though, and few are brave enough to publicly offer a contrarian opinion about encounters.  It has taken a long time, and there was some resistance, but most now agree that it is okay to have a bad experience.” 

“Why did you do that, Edi?” 

“Because I am one of them, my dear.” 

“But you’ve had – ” 

“Four encounters.  Did it ever occur to you to ask me why, when the most encounters a gnat has is usually two, like your friend Triv is planning?” 

Cally was quiet as she watched the Looming grant another Ending.  “What happened?” 

Edi sighed.  “My first encounter I was as excited as you were.  I wanted to look deep into the Looming’s orbs.  Each individual has a different color and pattern, you know.  I stared too long, and the Looming brought its limbs crashing together to End me, but I was only grazed.  The Looming have difficulty focusing quickly on small objects close to their orbs, and the strike was off.  I plummeted to the Moving Black Plains and the Looming lost track of me there.  When I regained consciousness, the Looming was gone and I flew back to the home soil, alive but shaken.  I was regarded as blessed by the Looming, but I was scarred.  I gained no special knowledge, no insight. Rather than peace of mind, I wallowed in silent turmoil.

“I kept my opinions to myself, married, and had larvae.  When they grew to maturity, I was hesitant to allow them their first encounter.  My husband and I fought over it.  Ultimately, I knew I couldn’t keep them from the Looming.  Encounters and Endings are our right.  I finally decided to give them permission, but when I got home I found my husband had taken them out by himself.  I flew after them, if only to say good-bye, but I was too late.  The Looming Ended all five of them before I got there.  I found two of their bodies.  I tried to make the Looming End me too, but it merely swatted me away before moving on. 

“I returned to the home soil depressed, grieving, and lonely.  No one understood.  They expected me to be overjoyed.  My family had made a collective Ending, and I had once again been chosen to return.  They dismissed my grief, and I soon left the swarm. 

“I wandered for a time.  I explored the far reaches of the hard white skies where there are so many vast, empty stretches.  They brought me solace.  I could pretend I never had a family, or a swarm.  I visited some of the other colonies, but never stayed long.  I didn’t trust anyone.  I wandered into a space where there is no brown fuzzy vegetation on the ground, where there are whole skies of caverns that open and close at the Loomings’ command, and where two vast silver depressions exist. 

“One of the depressions was filled with all manner of items I’d seen the Looming carrying around.  Great circular disks and basins, tall reservoirs, and the long sticks they eat with.  These filled the depression, and I flew among them.  I saw the bodies of gnats who had made an End in the water that pooled there.  Water gives life, but a reckless gnat can make an unexpected End in it if they aren’t cautious. 

“While I was exploring this area, the Looming approached and started shifting everything around.  The sound was terrifying and the air dangerous.  I landed on the side of the depression and watched as it was emptied.  A great stream of water gushed from the sky, turbulent and scalding.  It splashed everywhere, and I was caught in the stream.  I circled in the bottom of the depression before falling through a wide hole into a dark cavern below. 

“The water stopped before I could be washed farther down.  My wings were wet. I couldn’t fly until they were dry, and I couldn’t climb out.  I stayed there among the refuse of the Loomings’ food, frustrated that yet again I hadn’t been allowed an End.  I thought of staying there and waiting for the next deluge to finish me off.  Instead I flew away as soon as I was able and recuperated in the nearby colony of Forni. 

“I eventually wandered up the Great Rising into the upper spaces where great white slabs occasionally block off large sections of space.  Even if closed, there are cracks and openings at the edges and bottoms that allow access.  In one of these spaces I found the most distant colony, White Flower, on top of a tan trunk much taller than that supporting our tomato plant.  Its plant was old but hale and produced a multitude of small white flowers that gave the colony its name.  I flew listlessly among the leaves and stayed there longer than any other place.  There were fewer gnats there than in the lower colonies, and they respected the distance I kept from them. 

“The Looming spent a lot of time at the light emitter in that space, but rarely paid any attention to White Flower.  We had everything we needed, and therefore little reason to leave the confines of the old growth foliage.  Then one day, the Looming sifted through the leaves of the colony and started removing those that were dead and brown.  Most of the gnats flew away and let the Looming prune the plant.  They would simply fly back when it was over.  The process was unobtrusive and gentle, and it infuriated me. 

“I flew at the Looming in a rage. I was going to make it give me my Ending, forgetting a gnat can’t make the Looming do anything.  It just swatted me away again, and I landed on the elevated plain that held the light emitter. I got up immediately and attacked again.  This time it caught me between its limbs, but what was enough for so many was not for me.  I fell to the soil of White Flower, injured but alive, and laid there while the Looming finished and moved off. 

“One of the locals found me.  Anoda nursed me back to health.  She was the first gnat I spoke with openly about my depression and anger.  I was shocked when she understood.  She had been forced out of Nepen for similar reasons and eventually found her way to White Flower.  She said that many White Flower inhabitants had similar experiences.  I’d thought I was an outcast, a freak, but I was only one of many.” Edi’s whole body relaxed, and she smiled.  

“When I recovered, I returned to Lycopa.  The gnats in White Flower were merely those who had been openly different, or who had had the good fortune to leave and discover it by accident.  There were others living silently with their pain, like I had for so long.  I set out to change that, and I did to an extent.  Gnats are no longer ostracized or dismissed because they had a traumatizing encounter.  Quiet Endings on the home soil are much more common since I returned. We still owe the Looming a great deal, but we don’t expect everyone to adore them unquestionably.” 

Cally was frustrated. “Why isn’t this more widely taught?”

“Because change is slow.  The elders were afraid that telling the larvae anything other than good stories about the Looming and Endings would predispose them to have bad encounters.  It was one of the many times I was overruled.  If the subject were brought up now, there might be enough support to begin discussing these things, but I would be hard pressed to find anyone other than myself willing to talk about them openly.  Instead, I watch the first encounters closely and pull aside anyone I think may need advice.” 

Edi rose and began climbing back to the top of the hardened edges and the home soil.  “You aren’t alone, Caldaria.” 

Cally remained, mulling over Edi’s revelations long after the Looming rose from their ledge, turned off the light emitter and the false sun, and ascended the Great Rising. 

Early the next morning, Cally watched from a high leaf as the Looming lifted the light blockers and allowed the sun to shine through the clear barriers onto the Lycopa swarm’s home.  The Looming left, returning shortly with the daily deluge.  A single long stream of clear, cold water poured from the green vessel onto the home soil below.  A few seconds after the Looming lumbered off, the shouting started.  Cally ignored it.  The larvae were known to rise early and splash about in the puddles before they soaked into the soil.  Then the Looming returned with things Cally had never seen before. 

From this new thing, the Looming lifted great heaps of white earth and sprinkled it on the surface below, mixing it into the top of the soil.  Then the Looming took another, much smaller item and shook it over the home soil.  A fine brown powder settled onto the top of the white-speckled soil.  The shouts turned into screams as the Looming lumbered away. 

Cally joined the swarm gnats rushing to the soil below.  The twisted bodies of Ended larvae were everywhere.  As the first parents, families, and friends landed to check on them, they became covered in the fine white earth and rolled onto their backs, legs curling above them as they writhed and screamed in agony. 

“Don’t land!” Cally screamed, pulling out of her dive and making for the hardened outer edges.  Some of the swarm followed.  Some didn’t. 

From the hardened edges, Cally and others watched helplessly as gnats and larvae made slow, painful Ends.  The scene seared itself on the backs of her eyes.  Some couldn’t listen to the screams of their friends and family and went to make an End with them.  Others chose to go in search of the Looming for an End.  Despite these loses, a large crowd remained on the edges, watching the carnage.  Triv was one of them.  As the screams faded into silence, a faint fizzing could be heard coming from the soil.  Cally felt an immense weight settle inside her thorax as she recognized old Edi among those who’d made an End. 

Just when it seemed like the ordeal was over, the Looming returned, this time carrying a large blue cylinder.  A white mist burst from the top and coated the lower regions of the hardened edges.  Gnats who had taken refuge in these areas dropped instantly.  The fumes that rose from the mist were noxious and disorienting.  Cally and Triv left the hardened edges before it could overpower them and flew to a leaf high on the tomato plant.  Many gnats had not escaped this second attack.  Their black bodies were scattered everywhere. 

Triv trembled.  “Why is this happening?”

Cally glanced at the retreating Looming again.  “The Looming are fickle.” 

Triv tore her eyes away from the carnage and watched the Looming disappear.  “What did we do?” Triv wailed.  “They’ve never done anything like this!  Why do they suddenly care about us?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“All the larvae,” Triv whispered.  “They were too young to make Endings.”  Cally didn’t respond.  “What are we going to do Cally?” 

Cally assessed the ragged remains of the Lycopa swarm.  Not a single elder appeared to have survived.  Her voice was flat and expressionless when she finally answered.  “We can’t stay here.  It’s not safe anymore.  Nepen is the closest colony.  I might still have an aunt there, if she hasn’t made an End.” 

“What if the Looming did this to them too?” 

“Then we go on to Cana, or Forni, or – ” Cally paused.  “Or White Flower, if necessary.”  She forced a very unconvincing smile.  It felt wrong.  “You wanted to travel.” 

“Not like this.”  Triv’s voice was small as they took off for Nepen. 

Nepen was situated on one of the stacked black platforms that towered close by Lycopa.  It was on the far end of the second highest platform, shrouded in a transparent covering held up by narrow tan stems.  Nepen’s container was not clear or rectangular like Lycopa’s but made of woven twigs in the shape of a square that was wider at the top than the bottom.  On the platform directly below Nepen there was a giant white globe which, at the Loomings’ command, released a steady supply of hot mist.  It passed through the platform and was intercepted by Nepen’s covering.  There, some of the water condensed and ran down the insides of the covering in small rivulets.  The soil and foliage of Nepen were constantly moist. 

Neither of them had ever been to Nepen, though it could be seen from the highest reaches of Lycopa.  They knew Nepen welcomed any visitors from the other colonies, but they approached the nearest entrance with trepidation.  Would they be turned away when the Nepen swarm learned of the destruction of Lycopa?  What if the same thing had happened in Nepen?  Were they about to fly into a dead colony? 

They were relieved to see small black bodies skittering along the inside of the covering as they drew closer.  When they arrived at the main entrance they were met by one of the Nepen elders who manned the entrances in shifts to greet visitors.  Cally and Triv quietly informed her of the demise of Lycopa.  She was shocked to hear of the mass Endings, particularly of the larvae, but seemed dubious that the Looming would bring such destruction with no warning. 

“Surely there was some transgression leading up to it,” she said.  “The Looming do not act impetuously toward faithful gnats.” 

“If there were, we weren’t aware of them,” Cally stated.  Her attention was drawn to a group of newly arrived Lycopa gnats talking with another elder.  Their conversation seemed to be more heated than the one Cally and Triv were having. 

“Oh dear,” the elder said.  “I should go see what the fuss is about, but first, where are you girls off to?” 

“I’m hoping to find my aunt, Pyxi,” Cally answered.  “I know she left Lycopa for Nepen, but I’ve never heard from her.  She may have made an End.” 

The elder smiled knowingly, but it didn’t comfort Cally.  “Pyxi lives near the entrance on the other side of the city in the upper foliage.”  The elder spotted another group of Lycopa gnats arriving.  “Excuse me dears.” 

Cally and Triv glanced curiously at the other conversation, which seemed to be getting more heated by the second, and hurried away.  Though officially a colony, Nepen was more like a city.  It was more densely populated than Lycopa had been, but everyone agreed that Lycopa was the ancestral home of the gnats.  Gnats were everywhere, flying through the city’s greenways or skittering among the water droplets on the inside of the covering.  Triv said their races included a leg that required participants to skitter among the drops.  They had to be careful not to get too wet, or they wouldn’t be able to fly and risked making an End. 

The leaves in Nepen were long and wide and had even longer vine-like protrusions that extended from their tips and occasionally ended in small green cups.  There weren’t many of the cups, and the Nepen gnats seemed to give them little thought as they hurried past, but they made Cally feel uneasy.  The air was very humid, and it affected their flying.  They could feel it moving through the city, which Triv said meant the white globe was active.  The unusual air currents confused them for a little, but some friendly local gnats were able to point them in the right direction. 

The second entrance was hard to miss once they got close enough.  The main entrance was smaller, contained, and neat.  In comparison, the second entrance was large, open, and scraggly.  The covering hung freely, resting on the leaves and occasionally moving in the air currents.  They found Pyxi’s home in a bedraggled, but maintained, neighborhood. 

Pyxi was shocked to have a niece show up with a friend in tow, but she welcomed them.  The very large gnat had assumed anyone she was related to back in Lycopa had already made an End.  She was genuinely distressed to hear of Edi’s Ending.  “Edi was the reason I had the courage to leave Lycopa.  Not that Nepen is much better.”  She also listened carefully to their news of the disaster.  “You told this to an elder when you arrived?” she asked.  “Which one?  What did they say?” 

Cally and Triv looked at each other.  “We didn’t get her name,” Triv answered, “but she didn’t think the Looming would destroy Lycopa without…a transgression?”

Pyxi snorted.  “Lobifera.  Many gnats in Nepen have forgotten that we are a side effect of the Loomings’ actions and not a result of any deliberate choice on their part.  They think every action of the Looming is sacred, done with purpose, and conducted for the sole benefit of gnats that please them.  They call themselves The Progeny.  Many who contradict or question them are ostracized.  Some are forced out of the colony.” 

“What?” Triv was aghast, but Cally recalled the elder’s unsettling smile when Pyxi was mentioned. 

“Are more gnats from Lycopa coming to Nepen?” Pyxi asked. 

“More were arriving when we left the main entrance,” Cally answered. 

Pyxi frowned.  “This could be bad.  If the elders decide Lycopa brought this disaster on themselves by some imagined transgression, they may retaliate against the refugees to appease the Looming and keep the same from happening here.  They will blame those from Lycopa for what happened, rather than accept them as victims.” 

“But we didn’t do anything!” Triv said. 

“They won’t care,” Pyxi said.  “By their beliefs, the fact that the disaster happened means Lycopa did something to deserve it.”  Pyxi looked out over the vast expanse of Nepen.  “The Progeny have steadily been gaining influence in the city.  They’ll use this to solidify their power.” 

“How?” Cally asked. 

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”  Pyxi glanced at her worried visitors.  “Luckily I live practically on top of the second entrance.  If anything happens, the two of you should fly away and not come back.  This is no way to make an Ending, if you’re seeking one.”  She skittered to the edge of the leaf.  “You should get some sleep.”  Then she was gone. 

Triv and Cally settled down to rest.  It had been a long day.  “Where should we go if The Progeny kick us out?” Triv asked. 

Cally didn’t open her eyes.  “You were the one researching other colonies, but I suppose we could double back toward Cana.”  

“And if they don’t want us there?” Triv asked. 

“Then we keep going to Forni…or White Flower.” 

“I’ve never heard of White Flower,” Triv said.  “No one mentioned it when I was asking about the other colonies.” 

“Edi told me about it last night,” Cally said.  It seemed like a lifetime ago.  “Go to sleep now.” 

Cally woke to screams.  At first she thought the Looming were destroying Nepen, but the false sun was off and everything was dark.  The Looming were rarely seen in these conditions.  Hundreds of gnats were flying through the city’s greenways below.  It looked like some were being chased by others.  A particularly large gnat separated from the swarm and struggled toward their neighborhood. 

Pyxi landed heavily, nursing a bent wing.  “You need to leave, now!  Follow me!”  She took off before they could question her, but she could only fly so fast and Cally and Triv quickly caught up.  They quietly flew through the thickest foliage near the covering, which was saturated with large water beads.  Small streams coursed down the leaves where it rested on them. 

Pyxi tensed and dived for cover.  Cally and Triv followed.  Moments later a group of gnats flew by.  In front were two rows of five gnats.  They were followed by a group of gnats huddled together, surrounded by a rotating circle of ten gnats.  Behind them, bringing up the rear, were two more rows of gnats.  Cally recognized the huddled gnats from Lycopa – a matriarch, just shy of becoming an elder, with her son and a daughter-in-law whose spouses had made Ends trying to save their larvae.  Several mature grandlarvae accompanied them. 

One of the grandlarvae, younger than Cally and Triv, broke from the group and flew for the foliage.  The gnats flying in formation were on him quickly.  While his family watched, the Nepen gnats tore his wings off.  He fell to a leaf and tried to skitter away.  They tore his legs off one by one, berating him and every Lycopa gnat as worthless larvae-eating mites unfit to serve the Looming.  They severed his thorax and abdomen, then tore his head from his thorax before stomping on it until nothing was left but a black smear on the leaf.  They screamed the entire time that they would cleanse Lycopa’s filth from Nepen.  His family sobbed as they were herded away. 

Pyxi glanced over at the shaken gnats and whispered, “The Progeny are rounding up all the refugees from Lycopa.  They’re saying that offering shelter to those who angered the Looming will bring punishment on Nepen too, but instead of kicking them out The Progeny are forcing an Ending on all of them to gain favor with the Looming.  They’re even searching out the eggs some refugees laid when they got here and destroying them.” 

“Gnats Ending gnats is against our laws,” Triv’s shaky voice whispered back. 

“Refugees from Lycopa have been designated as Not Gnats, making it okay,” Pyxi spat.  “Anyone who disagrees with the proclamation is being grouped with them.”  She gestured to her wing.  “I just managed to get out to warn you.  Otherwise I would have looked like him, along with almost every other dissenting gnat at the colony meeting.”  She glared at the black smear.  “The Progeny are using this as an excuse to get rid of anyone they don’t like.” 

“Like you,” Cally whispered. 

“Yes, but they’ve bit off more than they can chew.  I’m not the only one who escaped.” 

“What will you do?” Triv asked. 

“We’ll think of something, but first I need to get you two out of here.” 

Pyxi left the cover of the leaf and flew over the carnage.  Cally and Trive followed her closely.  “Why don’t you leave with us?” Cally asked. 

“Nepen is my home, and I won’t let some misguided, Looming-worshiping mites push me out without a fight.”  They reached the edge of the foliage before the second entrance.  The covering hung in tatters, swaying slightly.  Below them, a wall of gnats arranged in rows and columns ten across and ten high blocked the exit.  “Shit,” Pyxi muttered.  “Now what?” 

Cally glanced around and noticed one of the tatters hung freely almost directly above the wall of gnats.  It was saturated with water beads.  All it needed was a little agitation.  Cally nudged Pyxi and gestured.  The older gnat’s eyes narrowed, widened, and then she smiled. 

Nepen’s foliage was heavy and didn’t move at the whim of a gnat, but all they needed was a tiny vibration.  They targeted the leaf closest to the swaying tatter, flying into it at high speed.  The three gnats almost knocked themselves out, but the small vibration agitated some of the water beads, and they started to shift.  Some coalesced into larger beads, which then moved enough to swallow up more.  They flowed to the very edge of the tatter and gathered in great round drops, poised to fall. 

Cally thought they might need to hit the leaf again, but the biggest drop finally began to extend.  Its connection to the covering grew longer and thinner until finally it separated.  The recoil set others loose.  The shower of droplets, most three wingspans in diameter or more, silently plummeted toward the unsuspecting gnats.  Large swaths of gnats were swallowed whole.  Those who weren’t taken out initially scattered in panic.  Cally and Triv sped through the chaos, dodging through the continued cascade, and left the limits of Nepen. 

Rather than flying around Nepen and risk being seen, they flew over it, above the highest black platform, almost to the extent of the upper hard white sky, and headed for the colony of Cana.  As they flew, Cally wondered about the other Lycopa refugees.  Would they escape?  Hide?  Could she have helped them if she’d stayed?  What would Pyxi be able to accomplish before The Progeny caught her?  Cally felt the weight in her thorax grow.  Would she have made a difference, or just a forced End?  She cried as she flew away, ashamed and angry.   

It was hard to miss the colony of Forni.  Its container was massive and contained a tree wrapped in a green vine adorned with tiny blue false suns.  As Cally and Triv entered the space with no fuzzy brown vegetation, they watched one of the Looming turn them on. 

The two gnats fled the colony of Nepen two days prior when a religious sect called The Progeny had started forcing Ends on Lycopa refugees, believing it would gain the colony favor with the Looming.  Cally’s aunt Pyxi helped them escape but stayed behind to try and stop The Progeny from taking over the colony.  Cally and Triv had flown for the colony of Cana, past the Loomings’ ledge and located at a point where two of the hard white skies intersected. 

Afraid of a repeat of Nepen, Cally and Triv debated what to tell the Cana gnats.  They wondered if any refugees from Lycopa had gone to Cana rather than Nepen, and if they had been welcomed.  As they approached the thin brown stem and spiky leaves of the colony a wall of noxious fumes rose to meet them.  Cally had instant flashbacks to the white mist that came from the large blue cylinder.  They pulled up sharply and surveyed the colony from a distance.  They could see the still bodies of gnats and larvae littering the soil and the ledge on which the colony rested. 

Cally and Triv left Cana quickly, afraid of being overcome by the fumes, and settled on a nearby ledge cluttered with strange objects and rocks.  Tired and mourning the loss of another colony they slept, then discussed their next move.  Triv had been told about the colony of Forni, which was supposed to be through a large portal in the hard white skies that they could see from their current refuge.  They set out the next day. 

As Cally and Triv flew deeper into the space with skies of caverns, the Looming wandered closer.  They detoured over a pair of silver depressions with deep black holes in their centers that Cally recognized from Edi’s story.  The Looming was still very close, and it shook open a great white wall that rippled through the air before folding it over several times and draping it over a rigid white horizontal branch.  The wall snapped in the air around the two gnats, and though Cally managed to avoid it, Triv was struck.  Stunned, she plummeted to the bare white ground.  Cally could see Triv trying to desperately skitter away, but the Looming stepped on Triv and crushed her without realizing. 

The weight in Cally’s thorax grew a little more.  She flew on depressed and convinced that if there were any gnats left alive in Forni they would force an End on her.  She wondered if she’d have the will to pass this colony by if it was destroyed.  She almost turned away without investigating, but a group of gnats flew out from the colony to greet her.  Assuming she was a refugee from Cana, they were shocked to hear Cally had started in Lycopa and initially fled to Nepen.  She accompanied them back to the colony with a quick backward glance toward a second portal in the hard white skies through which she had caught a glimpse of the Great Rising.  Upon arrival, Cally was greeted by one of Forni’s elders, Filip, and a curious crowd of gnats, many of whom were refugees.  She was surprised at how many were from Lycopa. 

“Has the same fate befallen Nepen as Cana and Lycopa?” Filip asked. 

Cally was cautious.  “No.  It was untouched by the Looming when I left.”  The image of a gnat being torn apart flashed through her memory. 

“We had visitors from Nepen calling themselves missionaries of The Progeny several months ago,” Filip said.  Cally flinched.  “They left very quickly when we made it clear their ideas about the Looming were not welcome here.”  Cally relaxed. 

In private, Cally told Filip and the other elders about The Progeny’s declaration against the refugees and anyone who disagreed with them.  The Forni elders were dismayed.  If The Progeny gained the upper wing in Nepen, they might try to extend their influence to Forni as well. 

Cally lost interest when they began discussing guard schedules.  She skittered off to wander through the colony.  Dead leaves were scattered everywhere, providing shelter to the gnats and helping retain the life-giving moisture from the deluges, which she learned came less frequently than in Lycopa.  She spoke with refugees from Lycopa and Cana.  Most of those from Lycopa had survived the destruction of Cana as well, but one family had travelled directly to Forni.  Cally spoke with them a little longer because they had passed the Great Rising on their way. 

Eventually, Cally found herself at the colony’s outer edges.  They were cold and shimmered slightly.  She had an excellent view of the portal she had come through, but the second was obscured by an elevated platform.  Despite the warm welcome, she felt lost and alone.  Logic said she should settle in Forni and wait for an End, whether it came from the Looming or The Progeny.  She doubted she’d be lucky enough to make a quiet End and return to the soil, like Edi had intended. 

Remembering Edi turned Cally’s thoughts back to White Flower, where Edi had found solace, where gnats didn’t judge others for not worshipping the Looming.  It seemed safe.  From Edi’s description, the Looming treated that colony differently.  Maybe she was wrong, but Cally didn’t have anything holding her in Forni.  She didn’t know any of the Lycopa survivors very well. 

“Funny how so much change can happen in so little time.”  Cally turned to see Filip skittering up to her.  “Three days ago there were four colonies below the Great Rising.  Now there are two.  One is at war with itself, and the other is preparing to defend itself should the wrong side come out on top.” 

“It’s a lot,” Cally agreed while internally she screamed at the inadequacy of those words to sum up the world shattering.    

“It pains me to think of the loss of Lycopa,” Filip continued.  “It was very much our heart and soul.  It’s where we first came into being, and why it has always been considered the home swarm.  The consequences of its loss are already showing.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Lobifera and The Progeny would never have dared something like that if Edi and Lycopa had been around.”  He chuckled at Cally’s incredulous look.  “Lobifera and Edi didn’t see eye to eye.  It’s why Lobifera left Lycopa.  Edi’s opinions on the Looming were occasionally unpopular, but she worked patiently and tirelessly for acceptance of those who had struggled with the Looming.  Lobifera wanted everyone to think exactly as she did, no exceptions, and wanted them to do it by last week.  Eventually there was an altercation, and Lobifera left.  No one ever quite knew how, but Edi scared Lobifera to the center of her thorax.” 

Cally mulled this new information over, but though she was mildly proud to know Edi had kicked that larvae-eating mite out, it didn’t change anything.  “I feel…weightless,” she said slowly.  “I’m being pulled this way and that by the air currents without anything to keep me steady and no desire to try to hold on anywhere I end up.  At the same time, there’s this weight in my thorax.  It’s so heavy, every time I take off I worry I’ll crash.” 

“It sounds like you are lost and lonely,” Filip said.  “You’ve had no time to process the loss of your home and safety and everything that was once normal.” 

A burst of laughter drew their attention.  Some refugees had settled beneath the canopy of a nearby fallen leaf.  The brown edge curled up and the gnats were gathered beneath it.  Despite the horrors of the last few days, they were adjusting.  One of the females was even preparing to lay a clutch of eggs. 

“How can they be so sure they’re safe?” Cally asked, aching for her old home.  “Nepen could attack.  The Looming could pour an End over them all tomorrow.” 

“They are merely trying to live their lives while they have them to live, and then make an End befitting a gnat,” Filip answered. 

“I can’t stay here,” Cally’s tone was decisive.  “I have to leave.  I’ll go to White Flower.” 

Filip nodded in understanding.  “Edi once said getting lost in the old growth of White Flower could heal the mind.”  He smiled.  “If you find your way out, you are welcome here.” 

Cally took off without voicing her final thought.  Forni as it was now might not be there to welcome her if she returned.  She thought she might regret leaving the colony with its tempting familiarity, but the farther she traveled, the more relieved she felt.  She might be lonely and lost, but apparently the answer was not Forni. 

The portal that led to the Great Rising was narrow and the Looming was rummaging around in its vicinity.  Cally flew high to avoid another encounter.  To one side there was a great cavern that reached from the bare white ground almost to the very highest extent of the hard white skies.  Cally wouldn’t have even recognized it as a cavern if it hadn’t been open when she passed.     

 A false sun illuminated the Great Rising in white, harsh light.  A series of regularly spaced rises covered in the fuzzy brown vegetation she was so familiar with, Cally had watched the Looming ascend the Great Rising every night.  She had always wondered if the Looming, lacking wings, had desired a way to pretend to fly while still being on the ground.  Despite being in one of the vast landmarks of her world, Cally hurried up the Great Rising with no appreciation or pleasure. 

At the top of the Great Rising, Cally came to a long, narrow space.  There were six portals in the hard white skies here, some of which were blocked by great white slabs.  The portal immediately to the left at the top of the Great Rising was open, and Cally knew from Edi’s description that it was not her destination.  This space held a great ledge with a white depression and a sky that reminded her of a clear barrier, but instead of showing the world beyond, it duplicated what was already there.  It made Cally uncomfortable because she was certain it would show her if she got close enough. 

This left five portals for Cally to search.  Three were blocked by slabs, but the other two were slightly ajar.  Edi had never mentioned which space White Flower was in, but Cally was drawn to the blocked portal at the very end of the long, narrow space.  She flew along its edges, searching for the small openings Edi had described. 

She found that the slab did not completely crush the rough brown vegetation at the very bottom.  Cally landed and skittered underneath.  It was a difficult passage because the plant fibers clutched at her legs and wings, and it was dark and close – too close for one who was used to flying through the wide-open lower spaces.  Cally was about to panic when she saw light ahead.  She focused on it and was soon free.  She took off into the air to survey the new space. 

Even before Cally climbed very high, she saw White Flower.  It stood on a tall tan trunk with four roots at the bottom.  White Flower’s large green container sat on a platform at the very top.  Long leaves, dead and alive, spilled out of it in all directions, green on top and purple underneath.  Here and there a small pod grew at the base of a leaf, and in them bloomed the titular white flowers. 

Cally nearly sobbed in relief.  She had made it, and she was exhausted.  As much as she wanted to dive deep into the old growth, to get lost among the leaves and flowers and soil, she needed to rest.  Cally flew to the base of the closest leaf and was asleep almost before she landed. 

Her sleep was plagued with nightmares.  Cally relived her friends’ Endings.  She choked on noxious fumes.  She stared at endless powdery white plains of Ended gnats and larvae, twisted in the throes of premature Endings.  She watched gnats be torn to shreds.  Sometimes they were faceless.  Sometimes they were her friends and family.  Sometimes it was Cally being torn limb from limb, and sometimes she was the one doing the tearing.  In one fragment she yelled at a retreating Pyxi to come back, come with her to White Flower.  She tried to fly after Pyxi to drag her away, but she was stuck in the mud from a deluge.  Gnats were screaming on the plains around her, and she joined them.  The mud hissed, and stung, and burned, and sucked her down into a black abyss.   

Cally jerked awake, breathing heavily.  She thought the Looming had brought destruction to White Flower because she could still smell the noxious fumes.  She hurriedly skittered to the edge of the leaf, but the soil, where visible, was dry.  Cally tumbled off the leaf to the surface, inhaling the smell of healthy, clean soil, trying to erase the memories from her mind.  When she calmed down, she noticed another gnat watching her.  Cally stood up, nodded at him, shook the soil from her wings, and skittered deeper into the colony. 

That brief encounter set the tone for Cally in White Flower.  The just-matured gnat who witnessed her fit told the story to his friends and family.  A few approached Cally in cautious welcome or looking for news of the lower colonies.  While Cally wasn’t rude, she didn’t encourage the visits.  She gave terse descriptions of recent events so they were informed, then quickly left the conversation.  The unpleasant and shocking nature of her news, her obvious trauma and desire to be alone, and the distance she gave to others with similar desires, ensured Cally the space she craved. 

Cally became an oddity in a colony of outcasts.  She wandered through the depths of White Flower, where the old growth was thickest and there were as many dead leaves as alive.  She no longer slept among the leaves.  Instead, she slept on the soil surface, like a larva, beneath a leaf or at the base of a stem.  Her nightmares were relentless, but Cally found the smell of the soil beat back the memory of the fumes.  She didn’t sleep in the same place for longer than a few days, and she made sure to stay on the fringes of White Flower’s society. 

Cally rarely flew.  She skittered about on the soil or climbed the stems and leaves.  On occasion she would use her wings to facilitate a long jump, but for the most part she stayed on her own six legs.  She still felt the weight in her thorax dragging her down.  The vibrations of flying reminded her of the Top-Down Race, which reminded her of Lycopa and everything she’d lost.  When Cally did fly, she was angry.  She would race like a maniac from one outer edge to the other, sharply swerving in and out of obstacles, never slowing down.  She half hoped she would  crash into a stem and make an End, but she never did. 

There were times when Cally couldn’t ignore the memories and was overwhelmed.  She would sit motionless for hours staring at a flower, a stem, or the soil as thoughts crashed through her mind like the front wave of an early morning deluge.  She wouldn’t notice if other gnats passed by and didn’t respond if they tried to speak with her.  When her thoughts beat mercilessly at her, trying to pound her into the soil, Cally would crawl into a pod of flowers.  If she wanted to feel better, she climbed into a pod with live flowers.  More often, when she felt like a larva-eating mite, she crawled into a pod of dead flowers, brown and withered, paper-thin and scratchy.  She once stayed in a dead pod for three days.  She would have stayed longer, but she drug herself out to drink the water that pooled at the base of a nearby leaf. 

“Punishing yourself won’t change the past, young larva,” a voice said. 

Cally looked up from the pool and saw an old gnat perched on a leaf above her.  In the lower colonies she would have been an elder, but the residents of White Flower were fiercely independent and distrustful of a centralized council.  Cally had seen her from a distance but never spoken with her. 

“I want to forget it, not change it.” 

“That’s nearly as impossible,” the old gnat replied.  She nudged a drop of liquid from her leaf into Cally’s pool.  “Drink that.  It helps after a fast.”  Cally drank with ill grace.  “Word is the gnat who can’t decide if she wants to make an End is originally from Lycopa.  Is that true?” 

“Which part?” Cally asked bitterly. 

“Being from Lycopa,” the strange gnat answered.  “I have eyes to see the first.” 

Cally glared.  “Yeah, I was from Lycopa.” 

“The Looming really destroyed it?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And Cana?”

“Yeah.”  Cally found the questions irritating. 

“Did you know a gnat named Edi?  I suppose she would have been an elder.” 

Cally looked up from her pool again.  “You’re Anoda?” 

“Apparently you do know her.” 

“Knew,” Cally corrected tersely.  “She made an End at Lycopa.” 

“It’s impossible for gnats to ever truly understand the actions of the Looming.” 

Cally hit the liquid in the pool, scattering it everywhere.  “Why make us just to End us?” 

“We were a byproduct, young larva.  They never wanted us.  We exist because they like the plants we depend on.” 

“We’re mistakes.” 

“Unintended consequences,” Anoda corrected.  “This is hard for some to accept.  They find it easier and more pleasing to think of themselves as special and beloved.”  Bitterness crept into her voice, and she saw Cally’s questioning look.  “I once clashed with a maddening gnat named Lobifera,” her face twisted into a scowl, but quickly relaxed.  She glanced through the foliage towards one of the Looming, who sat in front of a small light emitter.  “I see the Looming not as our creators, but as other beings to coexist with, or another hazard in the environment.  I find this much easier than grappling with the idea of being created only to be discarded on a whim, or by accident.” 

“Why so suddenly, though?” Cally asked the stem in front of her. 

Anoda sighed.  “The lower colonies were too prosperous.  There were too many gnats.  Too many seeking Endings from the Looming.” 

“But – ”

“Think of the larvae, how they would gather around the matured gnats, those who could put on a good show in a race.  Whole swarms of them, bothering just one gnat.  Quite a nuisance, weren’t they?  There aren’t enough gnats in White Flower to be a nuisance to the Looming.  Everything else is our own doing.  Our own choices.”  Anoda hovered just above her leaf.  “Think about it, young larva,” and she flew off. 

Cally did think about it.  She skittered to the very top of the tallest leaf in White Flower and sat looking out at the Looming.  How long had Anoda spent studying the Looming from afar?  How could any gnat ever fully understand the Looming?  Cally flexed her wings, then took off from her leaf.  She flew through White Flower, not at suicide speed, but languidly, observing the peace and untroubled nature of life.  She admired the long leaves colored deep purple on the undersides and looked at the white flowers for what seemed the first time – three white, delicate, pointed petals with bright yellow anthers at the center.  Blooming, fading, and blooming again.  Over and over.  Just like gnats kept hatching, growing, and Ending.  Over and over. 

Cally flew out of White Flower toward the Looming.  She landed on the clear barrier behind the light emitter.  It was flooded with light from the sun, and Cally’s body quickly warmed.  For the first time, she looked beyond the clear barrier.  She saw giant structures and land masses.  There were great towers of green that looked like foliage, and they seemed to wave at her, beckoning her to come visit.  Figures moved around far below, and Cally realized with a jolt they were more Looming, seen from a distance. 

How had she spent so much of her life next to a clear barrier and never seen what was on the other side?  She’d been too engrossed in her happy life to notice.  Cally wondered how well the lower colonies would react to the new ideas running through her head.  Not well, even in Forni.  Nepen would just End her.  Did she have the strength to return like Edi had and spend her life slowly changing the way gnats thought about the Looming?  Maybe.  She needed to heal first.  She needed to forgive herself.  

Cally spoke out loud, “The Looming are not our creators, but other beings to coexist with.  A hazard to avo – ”

A single small appendage of the Looming reached around the light emitter and quietly Ended Cally by crushing her.