The Stragglers.

There are just six silkworms left now. They seem to be suspended in some state half way between sleeping and consciousness. Maybe they are trying to resist the urge they have to throw out silk and yet gradually they must succumb. It must be like trying to stay awake in a dark warm lecture theatre with a speaker talking incomprehensibly about something that is of little interest, and each word that he utters is like something heavy on the eyelids. They close and then open, then close again, and the voice becomes more distant and dreamlike, and the listener slumps, mouth open, dribbling, each breath long and deep, becoming louder and more nasal, until at last...or is that just me?

But I digress. Back to the silkworms. They clearly have no energy left to expend on searching for food. Unless I place their food right in front of their noses they do not eat, so I have to fuss around for minutes, nudging it forward until they sense it and start to chew.It is as though they become insensitive to the smell that used to draw them close, and yet the reaction from another smell is as before. Chew, it says - and they do.

Meanwhile, another two cocoons have been made, one much smaller than the other. I learnt recently that the males produce bigger cocoons so maybe I have one male and one female. I think I will keep these now and let them develop. I think in a few days I shall cut them open so I can see the developing pupa - it is not supposed to harm them.

I should also like to see moths again, and maybe start the cycle again, just once more...