Uthesia
Ortanix
Eunice Choi | Short Fiction
The utetheisa ornatrix, more often referred to as the Bella Moth,
is characterized by bright orange wings with white stripes, and
is studded with black dots. Bella moths are found throughout
the temperate regions of Connecticut and Nebraska, southward
to New Mexico and Florida, and in Mexico and South America.
No one knows for sure who named me Ursula, and no one
knows for sure what my family name is. According to Uncle
Rat, my biological mother—whoever she was—abandoned me in
a Jacksonville dumpster, before she even cut the umbilical cord
off of my tummy. It was a cold night and I was a wet baby–
a pink baby squirming like a grub-in between the Styrofoam
boxes and plastic bags. The gang of Aunties and Uncles (that’s
what we call the older folks) found me, swaddled me in stolen
cloth and fed me stolen milk. At some point someone started
calling me Ursula, but no one knows who star