//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Why Am I Different? // Story: The Bug In The Basement // by Skijarama //------------------------------//     Eventide was rudely snapped from his peaceful sleep when an ear-piercing scream sliced through the air from his lap. His eyes shot open and looked down to see that Beebee had just sat bolt upright from his resting position, his eyes wide-open and tears streaming freely down his face. His wings twitched in agitation on his back, and his entire body was shaking. Another loud wail tore out of his mouth, and Eventide was quick to react. He reached down and scooped Beebee up into his arms to hold him close to his chest, a routine both of them were familiar with. “Hey Beebee, it’s okay,” he whispered in a soothing voice. “It’s  okay, it’s okay, I got you, Daddy’s here…”     Beebee, like all the other times he awoke from night terrors, didn’t seem to register what Eventide was saying. He was too lost in whatever was going on in his head to notice anything else. Luckily, his muscle memories and instincts kicked in enough that he was able to bury his face into Eventide’s shoulder while his hooves curled into his shirt collar. And all the while, Beebee just kept crying and screaming.     Finally, after maybe ten minutes, his cries tapered off, and he eventually fell back into a deep sleep. Eventide took a few more minutes to calm himself from the rude awakening, then noticed Buddha watching him from a corner of the room, a deeply concerned look on her face. He gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay girl,” he called in a whisper. “He’s okay.” Buddha licked her chops, rose to her paws and slowly walked over. Eventide dutifully lowered Beebee a little so Buddha could sniff at him. Once she was satisfied that all was well, Buddha pressed the side of her head against Beebee’s in an affectionate nuzzle before stepping back to give Eventide some room. He just smiled at her, then stood up. Careful not to wake the bundle of sleeping chitin in his arms, Eventide went down into the basement and put Beebee into his bed. He sat down by his son’s bedside once he was tucked in, looking at his closed eyes, and the faint glow that came from behind the lids.     “Why do you keep crying like that…?” Eventide wondered aloud, reaching out and gently running his thumb over Beebee’s cheek to clear away a stray tear that hadn’t quite dried up yet. “I don’t understand, and I wish I did… I hate it when you’re sad.”     His soothing voice and the touch of his thumb seemed to relax Beebee even more, as a tiny smile appeared on his face. A pleased chirp bubbled up from deep in his throat, and he snuggled under the blankets even more. Eventide just smiled at him for a moment, then leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on the side of his head. With that done, Eventide went back upstairs to his own room.     As soon as he was there, he made sure the baby monitor was turned up, then fell under his own blankets. He heard Buddha enter the room and felt her climb up onto the bed with him, but he found he didn’t have the energy left to protest the action. He fell asleep quickly, allowing the troubles of the waking world to fade away for a while…     The Next Day. It was cloudy and rainy that day. What little light there was outside the house was blotted and muted by the drawn curtains, forcing Eventide to turn on the lamps to keep the living room lit. He presently sat at his dining table, his hands folded over each other in front of him, while Fluttershy sat across from him, listening as he regaled her with the situation and his plans to fix it. She was quiet and nodded along, soaking up all the information. When Eventide finally finished, Fluttershy gave an understanding nod and smile. “I think you’re making a good decision. Getting a new, better-paying job sounds like a wonderful idea, and it’s even better because you want to move so Beebee can be safe.”     Eventide nodded slowly. “Yeah. I just figured I should get you up to speed. You’ve been a big help, after all, and I’m probably still gonna be needing you for a good long time” he said with a smile.     Fluttershy giggled sheepishly and shrank back a bit, a few strands of her long pink hair falling in front of her face. “Oh, I haven’t done that much. I’ve just helped you here and-”     “Nuh-uh, none of that,” Eventide was quick to counter with his smile becoming a teasing smirk. “You help me a lot, and that’s all there is to it. Just take the compliment, okay?”     Fluttershy blinked a few times. “Uh… okay?” She conceded awkwardly before clearing her throat and leaning forward again. “Anyway, uh, now that you mention it…” she gave him a hesitant look. “Uh… I won’t be quite as available to help you for the next couple weeks. There’s a big school project coming up; a musical showcase, and I’m in one of the bands.”     Eventide raised an eyebrow in surprise. For a few moments, his brain tried and failed to picture Fluttershy in a band. Maybe playing a flute or harp on her own, maybe a piano, but as a part of a group? He shook himself out of his trance and spoke up. “For real? Huh, I never would have guessed. What instrument?” he asked curiously.     “The Tambourine. It’s simple, and it makes a nice jingle sound, like magic sparkles,” Fluttershy answered with an almost dreamy expression coming over her.     Eventide smirked. “Which you’re familiar with now, of course,” he pointed out while pointing a finger at her. “What, with the school blowing up a few months back.” That got a full-blown laugh out of Fluttershy, the sound music to Eventide’s ears. She quieted her giggles after a few moments. “Yes, I suppose I am,” she replied with a warm smile and a shimmer in her eyes. After a few moments, though, that smile faded, and she glanced over her shoulder towards the hall that led to the basement, which was largely dark, due to the overhead lamp in the hall not being on right now. “You’ll be fine without my help for a while, right?”     Eventide nodded with a reassuring grin. “Sure, Fluttershy. Bee and I should be okay. Thanks for the heads up, though.”     “You’re very welcome,” Fluttershy replied before rising from her chair. “Anyway, I actually need to get going. I’m supposed to be meeting the others in a little while to start our first round of rehearsals,” she explained while heading for the door. “Good luck on the job hunt!”     “Thanks, and you have good luck with the music thing,” Eventide called after her as she went. She gave him an appreciative smile and thumbs up while stepping out through the doors.     “Thanks. Bye!”     “See ya!”     The door closed with a reverberating thunk, leaving Eventide to sit on his own. He remained still for a few seconds, just thinking, before standing up and starting to walk across the carpet for the chair.     “We’re moving?” Beebee’s voice suddenly cut through the air to his right, making Eventide come to a total halt. His blood ran cold, and he turned to see that the bug in question was standing in the hallway, towards the back. With the overhead light turned off, his glowing eyes were the most visible part of him, standing out in the relatively shaded space. “To keep me safe?”     Eventide shifted uncomfortably on his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets to hide his white knuckles. “Uh… w-well…” he stammered uncomfortably for a moment before sighing. He couldn’t lie to him. Beebee was smart; really smart. He was only six months old, but he was on par with a typical three-to-four-year old human child. Even if Eventide lied to him right now, Beebee would probably pick it apart and find the truth before long. So, reluctantly, Eventide nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan. The High School gets a lot of traffic pretty much all the time, and it’s kind of a wild stroke of luck that you haven’t been found yet. I’m thinking we could move somewhere out of town, in the countryside. Open spaces, not a lot of people… you’d be able to leave the house without worrying about being seen.”     For several moments, Beebee didn’t respond, his eyes shifting with thought. A heavy silence hung in the air before Beebee finally took a few steps out of the hallway. His hooves dragged along the carpet until he reached the light of the rest of the living room, then lifted his eyes to look up at Eventide’s. “We’re moving away from all the other kids so they won’t see me?”     “That’s the plan, yeah…” Beebee looked down, his wings twitching and his ears drooping. Eventide bit his lip, a sinking feeling forming in his gut. He was about to offer some words of comfort when Beebee suddenly asked a question. “Why do I have to hide from all the other kids?”     Eventide winced. “Uh… b-because, uh…” he struggled to find a convincing answer, but none would come. After a moment, he sighed and knelt down so he was closer to Beebee’s eye level. “Beebee… there’s not really an easy way to put this, but… it’s because you’re… different,” he said, choosing his words carefully.     Beebee went rigid. “I’m... different?” he asked quietly before his wings also drooped at his sides. He looked up at Eventide again, revealing the moisture that was welling up in his eyes. “Like… a monster?”     Silence.     Eventide didn’t dare to move, he barely even dared to breathe. He was shell-shocked, his mind taking a moment to register what his son had just said. A monster…? What? Where had Beebee ever gotten such a horrible idea?! Finally, with a lick of his suddenly dry lips, Eventide found his voice. “Wh...what?” he choked out.     “I’ve been thinking about it since Apple Bloom saw me,” Beebee elaborated, dragging himself over to the television. “She took one look at me, and... screamed… I could see how scared of me she was. She ran away from me she was so scared...” he looked at the T.V, and he wilted further. “A-and… last n-night… wh-when you fell asleep… in one of the cartoons that c-came on…”     Eventide struggled to find words, but all he could do was watch as Beebee sat back on his haunches and screwed his eyes shut.     “I saw the heroes beating up the bad guys, and… the bad guys…” Beebee opened his eyes and looked back at his wings, letting them gently waver back and forth. He then lifted a hole-ridden hoof, staring hard at it. He rotated it left and right, allowing his smooth carapace to catch the lamplight “...The bad guys were bugs. Like…” he choked down a sob and looked up at Eventide. “Like me. You always call me your basement bug… am I like the monsters they beat up on TV?” he looked up at Eventide, his eyes pleading. “Am I a monster?”     “Wha…” Eventide breathed before shaking his head and quickly walking over to scoop Beebee up into a tight embrace. “Oh, Beebee... oh, no, no, no, you’re not a monster,” he said in a gentle but firm voice. “You’re my son.”     “But I-”     “Nah-ah,” Eventide quickly cut him off. “No. Don’t you dare say that you’re a monster, don’t even think about it, and don’t you dare say that there is something wrong with you, or that somehow you’re bad because you’re different. Do you understand me? You are not a monster, you’re not the bad guy.”     “Then why do I have to hide from the other kids? Why can’t I go outside and make friends?” Beebee pressed before burying his face into Eventide’s chest. “Why is everyone so scared of me…?”     Eventide held him close and took a moment to formulate his reply. “Well… Like I said, you are different,” he started carefully. As he said those words, he felt Beebee tensing up, and heard a quiet whimper. He quickly gave Beebee a reassuring squeeze. “But that’s not a bad thing. It just means that the people who don’t know you are going to be confused and scared by you, especially if they didn’t know about you first. But you’re not a bad guy, you’re not a monster, and you have nothing, and I mean nothing to be ashamed of...” he then leaned back and ran a thumb under Beebee’s chin. “So chin up, eh?”     Beebee sniffled and let out a few quiet sobs before looking up. ”P-promise?”     Eventide retracted his thumb and used it to draw a big cross over his chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die,” he swore without even a moment's hesitation. “I promise, you’re no monster… you’re different… and between you and me, I love you just the way you are, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”     That, finally, seemed to be enough to help Beebee calm down. He took a few deep breaths, then gave a shaky nod, trying to smile. “O-okay, Dada… if you s-say so…” He muttered before looking down again and sighing. Eventide gave him another squeeze, then carried him over to the chair. He sat down and held Beebee close to his chest, gently patting the back of his head.     The two stayed like that for a few minutes, with Beebee’s whimpers finally fading away into silence. After a time, though, Beebee’s ears perked up, followed by his head. His blue eyes bored into Eventide’s, a question burning inside them. “So, uh… Daddy?”     “Yeah, Bee?”     “You said I came from the tree outside, right?” Beebee asked, glancing towards the window.     Eventide nodded, his brow furrowing. “Yeah, I found your egg at the base,” he said, following his son’s gaze for a moment. “Why?”     “But... tree’s don’t lay eggs, right?”     “I don’t think so.”     “So…” Beebee turned his eyes back to Eventide. “Where did I come from? And… how come I’m here and not there?”     That question, even if it hadn’t meant to, stung. Eventide’s eyes drifted down for a moment, and he could see Beebee’s face wilt, no doubt sensing his sudden melancholy. Nevertheless, Eventide answered. “I don’t know, Bee. Any number of reasons. It… might just be how your species does things. Maybe you were abandoned. Maybe you’re one-of-a-kind, and there isn’t a single other creature like you. I don’t know, and I have no way to know…”     Beebee let out a quiet sigh, clearly disappointed by the answer. After a few minutes, he extricated himself from Eventide’s embrace and hopped down from his lap. With sluggish movements, Beebee began to head back for the basement. “I’m, uh… I’m gonna go take a nap…”     Eventide watched him go for a few seconds, his heart falling deeper with every step he took. Finally, it became too much, and he leaned forward. “Beebee?” He called after him, making Beebee pause and look over his shoulder.     “Yeah?”     Eventide frowned and took a moment to think of how he wanted to approach this. Then, with a knowing smile, he started speaking. “You remember Pete, right? The big green dragon? Your favorite story?”     Beebee’s ears perked up a little, and his eyes lit up with fond remembrance. “Yeah,” he said, a small amount of energy returning to his voice. “I really like that one. The drawings are so cute…”     Eventide’s smile grew. “Can you tell me what happens, please?” he asked leadingly, and Beebee fully turned to face him. He seemed confused by the request, by didn’t object.     “Uhm… well… Pete lived with a couple of birds, his parents, in a tree next to the hill, right? When he learned that he was a dragon and not a bird, he ran away to live in a cave. He thought he didn’t belong with them,” Beebee began to recite, his little face scrunching up with concentration. “And, um… a couple of kids find him. Jane and Joshua. They made him go back to the birds, and they tell him that they loved him anyway, and they all lived happily… ever...”     Eventide’s smile grew even more when he saw the realization dawning on his son’s face. Beebee looked at him with wide eyes and a gaping jaw, and Eventide just chuckled. He leaned forward. “Beebee, I know that the last few days have been kind of scary for you. Being seen, me looking for a new job, and now finding out we’re moving just as soon as possible to keep you safe… It’s gotten you thinking that, maybe, because of how different you are, you don’t belong with me, right?”     Beebee slowly nodded. “Um… uh-huh...”     Eventide continued. “Well, let me just say that you are very wrong about that, Beebee,” he said before holding his arms out and giving them a good long look. “Hands or hooves, skin or chitin, different or the same, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what you’re made of, where you came from, or what parts you have that I don’t… you’re my son. Nothing will ever be able to change that. I will always love you, and no matter how different we are, you will always have a place with me, if you want it, or need it. So the next time you’re feeling sad because you’re a little different… just remember: You’re my Pete, and Fluttershy, Buddha and I are your nest of birds.”     Beebee stood there for a few moments, processing what had just been said. After a few quiet seconds, An enormous smile spread on his face, and he gave a quick nod. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll remember that. Thank you very much!” he said, his voice much more optimistic now.     Eventide nodded in return. “You’re very welcome, Beebee. Now, are you still taking a nap?” he asked when he noticed a subtle energy coming back into Beebee’s movements. The bug looked down at himself, then up at Eventide. He shook his head.     “Nuh-uh. I’m feeling better now. You’re glowing with all that pink, and it’s so nice…” he licked his lips and inhaled a few times and gnashed his teeth together before giving his whole body an invigorating shake. “Yum~.”     Eventide looked around, then shrugged. “Sometimes, I wish I could see what you see.”     Beebee just let out a pleased chirp and chitter before turning and spotting Buddha, who had been curled up next to the coffee table to silently watch the whole exchange. Then, after a moment, Beebee lunged at Buddha, and playtime began.