When the Flies Comes Home

Hi. My name is Humulus. I’m 13 years old and I like to chase flies. I don’t like frogs because these particular amphibians eat my flies. How gross! I’ve been chasing flies for about three months straight now. It is such a great feeling to chase these creatures. I don’t like to catch flies, I just like to chase these amazing insects. I came home from school, one day, and there were no flies to be seen anywhere. I asked my mom just where all the flies went. My mom told me that the flies caused such a problem for my parents that the exterminator had to chase these particular insects all away for good. I told my mom that I’m the one who chases the flies. I don’t like anybody to chase these flies for me. I can do it myself. My mom wished that I would take up another activity. My father asked me if I’d like to go fishing with him. I agreed to go since there was nothing better for me to do. I climbed into the front passenger seat of my father’s car and off we went to Gungho Lake. Gungho Lake, little did I know, surely was a big lake. My father told me stories about how he and his father played catch until dusk right on the water’s edge. I was so amazed at the site of the lake when my father and I pulled into a parking space. The fact that there were flies everywhere is really what caught my attention. My father went to get his fishing equipment in the trunk. I ran out into the open and immersed myself with all the flies. My father told me that this was no place to chase flies. He then walked over to me and handed me my fishing line. I got a sudden idea as me and my father were fishing. My father had empty bottles in his basket. I grabbed an empty bottle and then ran with it all around the little beach area very close to where my father was sitting. My plan worked ingeniously. I was able to contain as many flies as I possibly could within this empty bottle. I put the cap back on and then went back over to where my father was sitting (happily fishing). My father shook his head as soon as he saw me. He wanted to know what I was going to do with all those flies. My father grabbed the bottle from me and twisted off the cap. The flies all flew out of the battle. I asked my father what he did that for. My father told me that he and his wife just paid an exterminator a lot of money to get rid of the pesky flies at his home. I could tell that my father was getting sick of dealing with flies. My dad asked me why I just can’t have any other hobbies like the rest of the kids my age. I told him that I’m different and I like being different. I’m a special kid. My father asked me what is so special about a bunch of flies. I replied to my father that I just like them. Chasing flies is my kind of work. My father told me that there are other kinds of work out in the world besides always chasing flies. My father showed me how to fish. I didn’t like the bait being a poor fly. We caught several fish that day and my father could not have been happier. The sunset was really beautiful. I enjoyed watching the sunset with my father as we packed up and got ready to go. The flies were all around, but something curiously started to happen that, at first, I wasn’t aware of. My father packed up the car. We both got in, put on our safety belts, and turned up the music. The flies, little did we know, started to follow us as my father drove out of the parking lot. We couldn’t see the flies since these tiny insects are so hard to see. The amazing thing was that we were being followed by the flies. The flies took a liking to us. My father had his window down, but he rolled it up when some flies started to find their way into his car. I really enjoyed the company of these flies. My father, well, my father just about had enough. My mom was waiting for us as we both pulled into the driveway. She was shocked to find that we both were being followed by a herd of flies. My dad was speechless when he found out about the insects that followed him and his son all the way back to his house from the lake. My mom did not want us to go fishing again. My dad grabbed an empty bottle and scooped up just about every fly. I did my thing and chased the other flies away. My dad handed me the bottle. He told me that he is giving this bottle to me under one condition. The one condition was that I will not ever chase flies again. I, secretly, the next day, went to the park with the bottle and let all the flies go. I chased these amazing insects to my heart’s content. I let it all out of my system. I was amazed at how good I felt. I soon was approached by a boy who wanted to know if I could play a little game of baseball with him. I remembered what my dad had said to me. This is how I slowly became fascinated with another hobby – the game of baseball. My father and my mother were very proud of me (now that I wasn’t chasing flies anymore). We never did go back to that lake. My father and I, every so often, would play catch in our yard. We would occasionally see a fly or two, but I left the chasing after these insects to the professionals and this is the way my parents wanted it to stay. And, succinctly stated, it surely did stay this way. My parents, thus, could not have been any happier.