The Child and the Firefly
There once was a young girl, who, like many children, didn't understand much about the world. Each evening, just as the warm, summer sun was setting she would go outside to watch the fireflies waltz. This particular evening was especially warm and the child had a good feeling in her little tummy. She looked at the dark pink sky and smiled. As the air grew cooler and the heavens darker, the little girl sat down and prepared for the show. Back and forth they danced, fluttering their lights on and off. The girl grinned and stared until she could no longer contain herself. She got up from the stairs and started to bounce about the fireflies. She twirled around until the most spectacular firefly she'd ever seen calmly landed on her right hand. He had the brightest light of all the fireflies and was made even more special by the white stripes he had on each wing. He was content just resting on her hand unlike the others who were frightened of her and would quickly scurry away. He moved his antennas around as he observed her, and she smiled at him. Then, he spread his wings and flew off, shimmering as he moved through the night. The little girl did not fret when he departed, she knew he would come back.
The next night, as she had expected, he came back. The child was absolutely delighted when she saw her friend's magnificent shimmer fly through the sky; she smiled and began to giggle, clap her hands, and stomp her feet. Once again, the firefly landed on her right hand and studied her. She chuckled as he crawled around the top of her hand. As he flew away that night, the little girl felt a sense of loss; she missed her friend.
Just as darkness fell the following night, the girl went to sit outside in the grass to wait for her friend. Twenty minutes passed and she did not see his shimmer. Twenty minutes soon turned into forty minutes and forty minutes turned into an hour, but that evening she never saw his light. The child began to sob and turned to her home. As she laid in her bed that night, tears rolled down her face. And she thought to herself, How can I make him stay? And then her young mind hatched an idea.
At dark the girl quietly walked outside, a glass jar in her hand. She quickly gathered grass and twigs and shoved them into the transparent container. The girl returned to the steps working rapidly to hide the jar behind her, not making a sound. She sat down for several minutes, waiting. Then, soon after, she saw him approaching her. Once again, the firefly settled on her right hand. She slowly pulled the glass jar toward her and with one swift motion, dropped her friend into it and securely sealed the lid. She happily scooped up the jar between both of her arms and took it to her room, where she sat it on her nightstand and went to get ready for bed. As she rushed around the room she looked back at the jar. She walked over to it and peered through the glass. With a smile she said, "Don't worry, we'll be together forever." The child crawled into bed and turned off the lamp. She watched her friend dance, shimmer, and light up. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. And when she was almost asleep she smiled and uttered the words: "Goodnight friend." The child rolled over away from the jar just as the firefly's light began to pulsate rapidly, his shimmer faded, and he dropped to the bottom of the glass. The twinkling of his light became sluggish and then stopped altogether.
The next morning the girl joyfully hopped out of bed and glared through the glass, grasping the jar with both hands. "Where are you friend?" She slowly loosened the lid and gazed inside. Her voice shook as she muttered, "Friend?" Fearing he may have escaped from her, she frantically turned over the jar and shook all of the crisp, dead grass and twigs onto the floor. Her mouth fell agape and tears began to pour down her scarlet face uncontrollably. On the floor was her friend, his special white stripes faced upward, he no longer shimmered or flew, his light no longer sparkled. The child had lost him forever.
