Firefly

I sigh heavily and make high-pitched weird sounds to blow off the boredom. There was nothing wrong with my life, yet. Amid calmness, the truth was that I yearned for a storm. I closed my laptop and headed out to the balcony. It was 12, time for romance.

My lover, the lamppost, beams upon my arrival. I smile and blow a kiss at it. He shies away like always and hides in the branches enclosing it. The naughty leaves, encouraged by the wind, tease him with their gentle brush. But after mustering up courage, the glow tears away through, soothing my heart. The warmth and the promise reach me.

Three months ago, I came to Bangalore for work. While searching for a place nearby my office, I stumbled upon a grave-looking house covered in creeps. A To-let ad was posted on its monster of a gate in big black bold letters. The rent was cheap, considering the surroundings. It was awfully quiet here. There were vacant houses and plots all around it. No one else lived in that lane except the old lady. Reluctantly, she showed me the room upstairs while pressing the fact that it overlooked the haunted park. My interest immediately peaked.

The room was alright. Its balcony faced the park nearby that had lost its appeal. The parched land, broken swings, and ugly shrubs had made it joyless. The trees there were bent towards the boundary wall. Their branches spread out to the narrow street adjacent to the park as if trying to escape the grim air inside. Only these branches were alive. A trail of lampposts was also present on the road's edge, hidden in the foliage.

The owner left no stone unturned to scare me off by narrating the events that took place in the park, forcing its abandonment. Which I'm pretty sure were a bit exaggerated. Poor soul, only if she knew that I lived for such thrills. She started with the rules when she found me unnerved by the paranormal. I could easily read between the lines. She sure was hiding something. In the end, I won.

The lady didn't consider me a pest and warmed up to me as time passed. She told me that her only daughter had tried to move her out. But love for her husband stopped her from leaving. It was her way of respecting the togetherness. I still remember the twinkle in her eyes and the confidence in her voice when she said that he was still around. For a moment, I believed her but then remembered she was grieving. Even though the house screamed for a makeover, the love that it had witnessed made it perfect.

I had expected my sixth sense to be tingled. Disappointingly, nothing as such happened. There was no mystery to the silence around. Except for that one lamp post, which seemed alive.

It was pouring heavily that night. The storm pushed the water inside the balcony into the room. In the white light of the street lamps, the drops shone bright. I got tempted to touch the cold freshwater. I went out, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the rain falling on my face when suddenly a whoosh sound echoed.

The light in the lamppost straight ahead of me just went out. I thought the fuse must have blown. The rain had lost its glamor in the darkness, so I decided to go inside. As I was about to turn, the lamppost once again gleamed. But this time in a fierce greenish-yellow hue. As I gazed at it in amazement, the light became bolder. It seemed as if this change of color was for my attention. Someone was watching me. I could feel a strong pull towards the lamppost. I stood there in the rain, my heart soaking in its affection. After a while, I came inside, afraid of what might come next.

In these two weeks, nothing had changed. Neither the brightness nor my belief that the mystical glare had a secret not visible to the naked eye. The logic had taken a back seat. The lampost always made me feel special. Tonight, just like always, I had come to bask in his tenderness. His admiration for me ignited this unordinary affair. Laying on my bed, I chuckle at the craziness of all and close my eyes, drifting away into the unconscious.

A crazy itch up my nose wakes me. The smell of dirt was everywhere. The wind had gone crazy. I got up to close the windows and the balcony's sliding glass door. I was allergic and didn't want to spend the rest of my night with a runny nose. Before doing so, I went out to look at the lamppost. I winked at it, and its light went off just like that. Whoosh, the sound once again rang. A small flame starts dancing around in its place. Before I could make sense, it was heading towards me. As it came closer, it turned out to be a giant firefly.

I was numb with excitement and fear. It had been ages since I saw one. And to think of finding it here was a shock. The firefly kept circling me. As adrenaline rushed, I touched it. The firefly stopped moving and froze in mid-air. In a matter of seconds, it shatters into tiny balls of fire that eventually merge and take a human form.

My eyes stretched to their limit, were blinded by the water and radiance. My heart trembled just like that of a captured kitten. I should have fainted. Maybe I did. At this point nothing seemed real. I didn't move nor did that flaming thing. There was just staring.

“Sorry….didn't mean to scare you. Clearly, one is never ready to see a ghost”. A male voice buzzed cheerfully.

I swear to god. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but there was no sound. I pinched myself hard, thinking this was all a dream. However, the pain turned out to be honest. I started taking deep breaths to calm myself.

“ Wait,” he said and then changed his color to greenish-yellow. I believe he did it so that I would recognize him and to assure me that he meant no harm. A familiar comfort gripped my heart, and a mellow laugh escaped my mouth. I pacified my nerves by not reasoning with everything happening but living it instead.

To think that I had been romancing a supernatural being was surreal. My cheeks and ears started to heat up as I suddenly remembered the air kisses I had been generously sending his way. I quickly turned away my gaze from him; what if he could read my mind or something.

"So how you have been," he abruptly added.

I ignored the awkwardness and asked for his name.

"I don't know," he responded with sadness. I can't remember anything. I know nothing about my past. All they told me was to choose.

"Who? God! angels"?. I was quick to open my mouth. After all, this was something new.

He pointed at the park. "We all came from under the ground there."

"What! There are more like you?"

"Yes, hundreds of us. We needed to suck on a living source because we were dead. The organic energy of the park served as fuel for us. That's the reason why it has become barren. As I said before, we had to choose the right person to share the bubble with, or else the encounters become dramatic and scary."

It was all like listening to a fairytale. "The bubble"? I inquired.

"Yes."

All this was getting frustrating. One, he talked in riddles, and second, there was no face to look at but just a blazing figure.

"What about the bubble?" I prompted him again.

"I can show you." He leaped forward.

My heart skipped a beat. I hesitated but soon got over it and reached for him.

The glowing hand touched mine, and everything around spun.

After a minute, I found myself seated on a white bench wearing a peachy silk gown. A gorgeous blossomed cherry tree hid the blue sky above me. The cool breeze made the blush pink flowers rain over me. The sun and moon together lit the sky. There was no soil underneath my feet but snow. The endless snow spread till the end of the horizon. It matched my imagination.

Did you like it?. A voice buzzed and I found the ghost sitting next to me, adorning the same hue. I was hoping to see him.

Do I look alright, huh? He retorts, mocking the truth.

“Yes, just the way I like them”, I replied and nudged him.

We went quiet for some time to let it all sink in.

A few minutes had passed before I asked him how he knew about cherry blossoms and snow.

“We have our ways”. He answered slyly.

Finding me silent, he continued, “mmmm. I was surrounded by darkness when a voice told me to find my light. Before I could understand anything, I was sucked out into the wide sky filled with souls. I was one of them. I had no idea what to do. I hung in the air, lost when one of the fireflies asked me to follow him. After what felt like an eternity, I came to this park with him”.

He moved his head in my direction to make sure that I listened to him. I do have the habit of going mute with no prompting whatsoever when someone else is speaking. I signaled him to go on.

"That soul told me that we truly don't become fireflies until we find that special individual who will soothe their longings. He was able to transform into one after coming to this neighborhood. He had been visiting an old lady. Her memories give him the peace of companionship that he never had." ,

My ears pricked. Could it be her! Was he talking about my landlady?. I think my ghost sensed what I was thinking. "Come, I'll show you what goes behind the scenes. And she is not the only one." Said that he covered me with his aura, and oh boy! The jolt that I got.

Soon, I find myself surrounded by numerous halos in different colors. The entire rainbow was there. As the ghost speaks, inside these lighted spaces, a lot is happening. It was like watching multiple movies together. Being a firefly, they had the power to recreate impressions or desires. Whatever the living wants to experience.

As they are dead, this is their chance to live again and feel the emotions that satisfy them. Once they had their fill, they would easily transcend to the other world. They had to find that one person whose energy would give them the right color. The color they had missed. Together, the dead and the living adventure something that can only be described as magic.

My landlady was with her husband inside a blue halo. She looked so delighted while the firefly looked on. The euphoria is such. I guess that's why she felt like her husband was still around. Only she could tell whether she was revisiting the old memories or making new ones. There were many people just like her. In the quiet, a secret shared by none was being lived by everyone.

I was looking around keenly when my ghost said," Don't you wanna know why I am here with you? Those words spiked my heart. And within seconds, we were back inside our bubble. I sat there quietly, not daring to look at him. With every deep breath I took, the romance was becoming real.

His blazing fingers lovingly stroked my hand as he spoke, "It had been a while, and still I couldn't find the one. That night I was about to leave when you showed up. That face of yours glistened in the rain, striking me with something. I bathed in your charm and found my light. After you, nothing else was desired." These words overwhelmed me, and tears filled my eyes. I didn't say anything. There was no need; he knew that I had felt the same. Hence the color.

"Come," he says in a clear voice and gets up. The buzz had gone. As soon as those words left his mouth, I stood on a beach. My feet were buried in the white sand, awaiting the touch of the clear blue water. The orange sky turns purple with the sun setting.

He walks ahead of me, no longer glowing. I see him ascending towards the water in a t-shirt and shorts. His dark brown wavy hair ruffled by the breeze is perfect. He turns and splashes water at me. I didn't flinch at the cold touch but kept gazing at him. I was smitten by what I saw. He tilted his head and spread his arms. I ran and hugged him. He laughed and gently pressed a kiss on my forehead. Our hearts beat loudly, in sync, stirred by the storm called love. Everything starts to fade, and I tighten my hold on him, never wanting to let go.

Once again, the noisy wind shakes me, and I find myself on the balcony. The lamppost was no longer the same. The hue was gone. I knew he had left, but somehow, I wasn't downhearted. Something profoundly gratifying and beautiful had happened in these fleeting moments, enough for a lifetime.