By: Dale Parnell.

Ding-dong!

Betty wasn’t expecting visitors, and her arthritic joints creaked as she opened the front door, only to discover no-one there.

It was then she spied a lone housefly, hovering in mid-air. So taken with the fanciful notion that the fly had rung the bell, Betty bid him welcome, watching as he buzzed down the hallway.

The next morning, Betty discovered the fly sitting up in her favorite armchair, six-foot-tall and reading the previous day’s newspaper.

He wasn’t much for conversation, and Betty could never stomach watching him eat, but it was nice to have some company around the house.

© 2024. Dale Parnell

Dale Parnell lives in Staffordshire, England, with his wife and their imaginary dog, Moriarty. Dale is featured in over fifty anthologies, and his strangest wish is to one day find one of his own self-published books in a second-hand bookshop.