I think gnats are magic. You walk through them on the sidewalk like they weren’t there. If you see one in the house and slap at it, it simply disappears. Gone. Not on your hand, not in the air. Gone.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make the swarms of gnats you run into as you walk disappear with a slap of your hand?
Please use the open space below to share your first 50 words on the topic “gnats.”
First 50 Words - Prompts for Writing Practice 
Maine black flies can come under the heading of “gnats.” When I garden I am dressed somewhat like Katherine Hepburn in the movie African Queen. Husband’s old white very large dress shirt buttoned all the way with collar towards the nape of my neck. Hair pinned up with some sort of hat on top over the netting dropped down to completely cover my noggin and tucked well into my collar. Of course, a pair of very old soft jeans and gardening gloves and I think I’m prepared. Nevertheless, the black flies are brutal. Somehow they always manage to get under the netting and sunglasses giving me ferocious bites to which I am clearly somewhat allergic. I try not to have a peek in the mirror afterwards because my face is distorted by swollen bites; at times an eyelid almost closed. Popping a Benadryl and washing my face with ice cold water help. I’ve thought about gnats. Somewhat like certain types of people. As one person or bug – viewed as tiny or insignificant. However, a swarm of people quickly become bullies with the goal of attacking someone else physically or verbally. A swarm of gnats or black flies are more than I can deal with. I’ve always detested bullies of any sort. I certainly detest the swarms of black flies that seem to emerge more towards late afternoon in Maine. Oh well! Hells’ bells; not much can do about either.
When I think of gnats, I think of fruit flies and then my thoughts fly (no pun intended) to a novel by Donna Tartt, THE GOLDFINCH. A character in the book gives her thoughts on some Dutch artist and his still life paintings. In my opinion it is simply the best description of evolution of life into death that I’ve ever seen. A fruit fly is as they used to say, the prime mover. Gnats uber alles……