A Shared Breath

The midday glare fell heavy upon the saucer where my clone sat bristling under its barbed burr crown. A fat housefly landed squarely on the concrete slab between our blunt feet, rubbing its pale wings together in ignorant rhythm. I did not strike. I held my gaping maw wide and tilted slightly inward, guiding the creature toward the crevice between my flank and my creation's jagged flank. Together, we tightened the shadow around it until the insect ceased its frantic twitching and settled into our cold stillness.