Becoming

by Lena Ng

Sundown and my favourite time of day was fast-approaching. The darkness of evening where I could finally be myself. I was tired of pretending, smiling fake smiles, repressing my violent thoughts, hiding my true nature. Clacking away at a keyboard for eight hours until the workday was over and the time was right. Soon my brethren would join me. In the blackness of my rat’s nest apartment, I unzipped my skin and stepped out, leaving the greasy, pink-coloured flesh on the floor. I stretched my arthropod legs and clacked my mandibles. I looked forward to feasting well into the night.

Lena Ng

Lena Ng lives in Toronto, Canada. She has short stories in seventy publications including Amazing Stories and the anthology We Shall Be Monsters, which was a finalist for the 2019 Prix Aurora Award. “Under an Autumn Moon” is her short story collection.