leave a little sparkle

The Kaicho’s words came just a moment too late as her teeth closed around the bug and a fire lit up on her lip. She yelped and spat and tried to dislodge the stinger from her lip with her tongue and her paws but her attempts only pushed the venom further into her system. The effect was almost immediate, her lips ballooned and tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes as she angrily stomped on the now stingerless insect that was buzzing pitifully in a circle on the dirt, its wings crushed between the small girl’s teeth.

She wasn’t crying yet, but if she caught sight of her reflection, the result would be immediate. She dragged her lip on a piece of bamboo, finally dislodging the barb but her face still hurt! She sniffed but kept her whimpers mostly to herself. “Umsawry I woke yer up, Mumma says naps’re umportan’.” Great, now she couldn’t even speak properly. She wondered if she’d be stuck like this for the rest of forever.

“Speech”