Dragonfly

It was a beautiful summer's afternoon. Aunt Sarah, S- and I were relaxing beside the garden pond, eating olives and sipping Chardonnay.   "Ooo look!" says I, "a dragonfly."  The bright green creature circled the pond for while - swooping then hovering, then swooping again - before settling onto one of the pond-side stones.

For the next 20 minutes we watched, enthralled, as she laid her eggs in a mossy crag between the stones. In my ignorance, I thought dragonflies always laid their eggs in the water, but clearly not this one. Finally, she circled the pond once more, and was gone.

The following day we found her dead nearby, her life's work done.  I hope her offspring make it to the water.