A Flutter in the Ivy

A sudden dry scuttle in the dead ivy leaves made me drop flat against the planter edge. Peering through the dense brown stalks, I saw a dried cicada shell hooked securely to a wooden trellis slat. I inched forward on silent limbs, testing the hollow shell with the tip of one claw. The brittle husk snapped free from the bark, rolling into the hollow of my palm with a papery rustle. My petals flared wide at the brittle vibration, letting out a raspy, satisfied click as I turned the lightweight relic over and over in the afternoon breeze.