Spotted Lanternfly

In today's story, Spotted Lanternfly, the night foragers are in search of a light source

Today's prompt was inspired by the invasive species that are gaining ground in Virginia and many US states. They're quite pretty insects, if only they weren't damaging crops and trees. 

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More about Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty mainly writes novels, including two standalone novels and her current YA series: The Psychic Traveler Society.  Susan's short stories for Freely Written are created during quick writing breaks and shared as a way to practice her narration skills before she dives into recording audio versions of her novels.

Website:  SusanQuilty.com
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Transcript

Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 145 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:

Welcome to Freely Written where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction. 

[Light piano music]

Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty and today’s prompt is Spotted Lanternfly.

This summer spotted lanternflies are being spotted everywhere. They’re pretty little insects with spotted white wings that part to show a second set in flashier red. They’re also considered an invasive species, damaging crops and trees. Here in Virginia, there’s a call to kill them on sight, which can be easier said than done when they quickly flutter away. 

Invasive or not, I don’t like killing them—or killing any insects intentionally. I’m the type who prefers to gently capture and move insects outside. Though I see why the spotted lanternflies need to go… especially when they’re endangering the vineyards. 

The least I can do is immortalize these spotted invaders by using them to inspire a story. 

If you’re new to Freely Written, here’s how it works: I sit down with a prompt and write whatever comes to mind, with no planning and very little editing. Then, I record the story and share it with you.

Let’s see where that led today:

Spotted Lanternfly

It was a warm night in forest. The moon was merely a sliver, and the breeze had gone to sleep. Crickets chirped in the trees and frogs croaked in the nearby pond. Small nocturnal creatures darted through the dried groundcover, leaving a rustle of leaves and twigs in their wake. 

A sharp snap startled Delphine and she gasped before realizing the sound had come from a broken branch beneath her own small boot. 

“Be careful,” Vivienne warned, “you’re going to scare them away.”

Delphine sighed and bit her tongue. Vivienne was five inches taller than Delphine and stepped heavier than their donkey, but Delphine knew it wasn’t worth arguing the point. 

They had only just started their search, but it was their fifth night looking. They each held a large jar in one hand and a pierced lid in the other. Pale yellow sap coated the inside of each jar, though it hadn’t done its job yet. 

“We’ll find some tonight,” Vivienne predicted boldly. “The air is right tonight; I can feel it.”

Delphine did not notice a difference in the air. It was warm and still, as it had been the last four nights. If anything, she had wondered if the stagnant air was part of the problem. Perhaps a light breeze would be better. Something to lighten the atmosphere and send their prey flitting through the trees. 

Vivienne claimed to have all the answers by virtue of being older. But Vivienne was also brash and impatient. She moved through life with confidence, even when she was confidently wrong. Even when she knew little of a situation, she was quick to give the orders. When it came to foraging, her experience led to giving orders more loudly. 

Yet, Delphine suspected that Vivienne’s experience wasn’t all that valuable. It seemed Vivienne counted her time searching the woods as an asset, whether her quests were successful or not. Delphine considered that to be less experience in foraging and more time just spent walking in the woods. 

For her part, Delphine was new to foraging but meticulous. She moved slowly and stayed quiet, observing the details of her surroundings until she had a sense of where to look next. Those senses were usually right, leading them to mushrooms, berries, herbs, and flowers. Vivienne noted her sister’s success with thinly veiled jealousy and was the first to point out Delphine’s small missteps, like stepping on the branch tonight. 

Delphine was young to be out at night, even with her older sister’s guidance. It was her success with daytime foraging that had given her the early promotion. That and, perhaps, the unspoken hope that she would help Vivienne reach her quotas.

Only certain villagers were chosen for night foraging and it was an honored role. Night foragers searched for one specific item: spotted lanternflies. 

These delicate insects were hard to find as they only appeared at night, and their translucent bellies only gave off the faintest light. Yet when spotted lanternflies were taken into the mines, their glow mixed with the mineral-rich air to create a diffuse light that was brighter, and safer, than lantern oil. 

“Five nights,” Vivienne muttered as they trudged forward. “Five nights without a single catch.”

The lack of lanternflies spread beyond their section of the forest. Other girls had been coming home with empty, or near-empty, jars for the last few weeks. Their once abundant supply of light appeared to be dwindling and everyone worried over what would happen when their store of spotted lanternflies ran out. 

“How long do the lanternflies live?” Delphine asked softly, her eyes scanning the forest for any trace of light. 

“Um, about a year,” Vivienne answered, scrunching her forehead to remember what she’d learned in school. “The eggs hatch in spring, they live through summer and fall, then lay new eggs and die before winter.”

Delphine thought about that. 

“Then what do they use in the mines during winter? If the lanternflies are all dead or not yet hatched.”

Vivienne rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, I thought you meant out in nature. The elders keep a stock of them stored in a warm room through winter. They just can’t get them to lay new eggs or live past winter, so we always need more.”

Delphine thought about that. 

“Maybe it’s too warm for them to lay eggs,” she suggested. “Do you think they’ve tried turning down the temperature? If you tricked some into thinking it was late fall, they could lay eggs that would hatch before the rest in the warm room died out. If you had a few rooms, you could cycle them all at different times and have spotted lanternflies year-round.”

Vivienne kept walking. She didn’t like the sound of Delphine’s plan, mainly because it sounded like it might work. 

“We here to catch lanternflies not to tell the elders what to do with them.”

Delphine nodded, deciding she would bring it up with Mother in the morning. Even if it did work, they would need to find more lanternflies until it was up and running. 

The path came to a split in the forest and Delphine instinctively moved to the right. 

“This way,” Vivienne ordered. “We went that way last night.”

“I know, but…” Delphine hesitated at the turn, trying to find whatever was drawing her down that path. “Do you see this whitish patch on the trees? It wasn’t there last night.”

“So what?” Vivienne shrugged. “We already looked that way.”

“I think it’s from the lanternflies,” Delphine insisted. “Don’t they leave some kind of sappy mess behind?”

Vivenne peered at the whitish patch, wondering how Delphine had even noticed something so small. She had learned something about that in school. A bit of sap left behind? Or a fungus? She couldn’t remember, but it wouldn’t hurt to humor her sister. 

They turned down the path, winding their way between trees they’d checked the night before. Vivienne was about to give up, when they moved around a bend and found two trees whose bark seemed to be moving in the scant moonlight. 

“Lanternflies,” Vivienne whispered in awe. 

They crept toward the trees, holding their jars beside the bark until they were filled with fluttering insects. 

“Careful with the lid,” Vivienne warned, but Delphine had already sealed her jar and was placing it gently into a bag by her side. 

She fished out two empty jars and offered one to Vivienne, saying, “You said you had a feeling about tonight.”

Vivienne squinted at her sister, knowing it was Delphine’s keen eye and not her feeling that brought them to these trees. Still, she accepted a jar, eager to catch them all. 

They filled their second jars then turned to walk home. 

“You know,” Vivienne said thoughtfully. “Maybe we should tell Mother about your hatching idea. You might be onto something.”

Delphine grinned, happy to have finally spotted the spotted lanternflies.  

The End 

Thanks for listening. If you’re wondering, spotted lanternflies do not light up, as far as I know. But in a story, anything can happen.  

I hope you enjoyed that story. If you did, please check out past stories and share Freely Written with your friends. While this is a fun side project, my real love is in writing novels. You can learn more about my books on my website, SusanQuilty.com, or search for “Susan Quilty” wherever you buy books. There’s also a link in the show notes. As an indie author, I truly appreciate your support. 

Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you. 

[Light piano music]