Firefly parade

The lights have been turned out, the ceiling fan whirred above her bed, wafting the cool breeze down feeling the hairs on her face sway ever so slightly. The window was cracked and she could hear the crickets and frogs singing, she often fell to sleep thinking about what kind of party would these creatures in the garden have. It had been a while since her mother tucked her in, even in her 5-year-old mind she knew she should be asleep by now. She laid there, content and also waiting, she actually had no idea what she was waiting for but she could feel something happening.

The air in the room seemed lighter, she could see small lights flittering all around, they were dancing and swirling, and as she watched she saw they were fireflies, moving around so beautifully. She turned her head to see the window, and sure enough, they were coming in through the small crack, using the window ledge as a runway, and moving about in a beautifully geometric pattern that reminded Elsy of the map of the cosmos her mother had in the living room.

They were telling her something, but what? Elsy was a self-proclaimed detective. She was good at figuring things out and recruiting help from her framily. That was a word she made up meaning friends and family, its use came in handy and saved time in her sleuthing work notebook.

She watched and if she squinted her eyes she could see that there was one firefly who was in charge, she was leading them all in the show, making a very low chirp each time she made a loop. There was a small bang, and Elsy watched from her perch on the pillow as two dragonflies were pulling a miniature basket in a heave-ho fashion up and over the threshold of the window. The basket gleamed with a green glow, it was as if the light itself were alive, and there was a heaviness to it. Elsy was surprised to see a mist rising in the room, the green light from the basket was very cold, and then she heard the dragonfly singing. The dragonfly’s song was almost like a rap, it was about emerging, it was about unfolding, and knowing the way. She felt her knees bounce on the bed as they sang and beatboxed and the fireflies created new patterns. What a show! She leaned back into her pillow and just enjoyed it.

The green glow was dripping and slopping out of the bucket as the dragonfly’s flew and balanced the bucket, holding the string like a harness wrapped around their backs. The cords seemed small enough that the dragonflies could move, dance, and fly with the fireflies with ease. She could hear along with the song, their breath, and effort to carry the green light. It felt serious and also magical.

She wondered about magic, and what it was really. She knew that magic was most usually a feeling. Sometimes she knew what her mom was going to say before it was said, and not because she did something naughty or something like that. It was a soft whisper in the breeze and it was as if she just knew something, and then she learned it. (Not the other way around.) Her body often responded with goose pimples all over or a fluttery tummy. It was exciting and also sometimes scary. Like when the stick mama used to light the stove, She would scrape it on the side of the box and suddenly a pet flame would dance on the end of that stick, Or the way a light bulb turned on by the flick of a switch. Things that she didn’t know why they happened, but that they did. It was mysterious and it felt special.

The show was more focused above her bed now, and she had bent her legs up with her head comfortably resting in the pillow. Her breathing was slow and calm, the breeze still, albeit cool air was still circulating the room. Her pink pillowy duvet cover was bunched near the bottom of her bed.

She understood now that the whole point of this show was to remind her that she was their queen, She had the urge to stand up on top of the bed, and reach her arms to the side, she felt her body move from side to side and she was smiling, the dragonfly’s now positioned the bucket of green glow right above her head and they were all swinging and swaying loudly, so close to her ears that she could hear the flutter of their wings. Elsy felt so grateful, she felt like each one of these thousands of fireflies was her best friend, she loved them. She was being twirled and the green light was sliding all over her body now and as it touched and slid upon her skin it also sunk into her, as she looked down the cool green was glowing under her skin, She thought she looked like a glow stick from the roller rink. She had a sparkling crown on, her lips were moving and her voice was singing a song she did not know that she knew, and it was beautiful.

"You are our queen the dragonfly," said to her. "Welcome home."

She felt hot tears on her cheeks, and with the tears, all doubt left her body and she felt that feeling of magic, she knew that everything was going to be ok.

Her mother, who had been startled awake by the bump on the window sill, walked sleepily toward Elsy’s door, and stopped about 4 feet away, staring at the crack between the floor and the bottom of the door, she could see a green light. She rubbed her eyes, thinking maybe she was still sleeping, and then took the handle in her hands, and turned the knob slowly not wanting to disturb Elsy. She pushed the door open gently and silently, to see Elsy asleep on the top of her covers. She came closer to stroke her head and give a kiss on her fleshy cheek. Her hand felt something cool, and hard… Her mother was confused, and then realized it felt like a crown but must be one of Elsy’s headbands, and went back to bed feeling comforted.