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The Fireflies (6) : In the warm summer nights, little glowing lights begin to bob and dart through the city. Fireflies are mating, so this isn't uncommon in itself; in the past few days you've probably seen hundreds of fireflies. What makes these lights so unique is that they seem to change color; you might see a blue one, a green one, a red one. They flicker randomly, and something just seems off with them. If you come into contact with one, you will find yourself with a strange electric jolt. They cannot be caught, and will flicker away if you pursue too aggressively. This isn’t the first time they’ve appeared in Destiny City, but no one’s been able to tell where they came from or where they’re going. No matter how quickly you chase them, they always seem to disappear before you can find any answers.
Every summer the same thing would happen. Fireflies came out in droves around the time of Destiny City's Star Festival, flashing their little bioluminescent butts in and out all over town. It was definitely a sign of summer, but to the locals it seemed like they came out specifically for the festival. Mainly because of the strange variations that would blink in colors and give you a ferocious zap if you touched them. They only appeared during Star Fest; no one knew where they came from, or where they went after the festival was over.
And it was Yukio's sworn mission to catch one.
Not to keep forever, mind; just overnight, maybe a day, as he'd done with the more ordinary fireflies ever since he was a small child. Catch, enjoy, release. He'd been trying for years to catch one of these colorful variants, only to fail every time. This year, though, he had a slightly better plan than just chasing them around with an empty mayo jar. He'd let the fireflies come to him instead. Wouldn't Holland be delighted if he came home with a firefly that glowed green?
Of course he would. The fact that his boyfriend would likely coo adorably at the bug gave additional impetus to his quest.
So Yukio lay on his stomach in a quiet place in the park where he'd seen the fireflies before, a large empty mayo jar (it was traditional to use a mayo jar, and he wasn't about to argue with tradition) sitting open about an arm's length in front of him. He had the lid in one hand, ready to pounce the second one of the colorful glowing insects flew into the jar. He'd even baited it with a small sprig of honeysuckle. Not that he knew what fireflies ate, but the aroma might tempt them anyway. Hard to resist honeysuckle on a warm summer night.
Almost as soon as he stilled himself the fireflies began to appear, both the normal variety and the strange ones glowing in colors. They drifted around lazily, even approaching him where he lay frozen in position. He didn't budge, though – he didn't relish the idea of getting zapped again by the brightly colored ones.
Gradually the bugs started flying into the jar and examining the honeysuckle. Interesting – the bait seemed to be working! Yukio kept perfectly still and watched, waiting for his moment to slam the lid on the jar. Finally, after a parade of plain yellow fireflies, a glowing green one flitted into the makeshift trap. It fell for the bait too, landing on the front of the flower and probing around. Now was his chance!
With snake-like speed he slammed the lid over the top of the mayo jar. "Gotcha," he murmured.
Getting to a sitting position, Yukio was ready to admire his prize. This had gone remarkably well! Not only had he caught one, he'd managed to avoid getting zapped in the process! He patted himself on the back mentally as he reached for the jar…
Only to find it empty except for the honeysuckle sprig.
"What the ********?" He didn't know how it could have escaped; there were only a few holes in the lid, and none of them big enough for a firefly's body. Annoyed, he lifted off the lid – and saw the firefly on the underside of the lid only a second before it lit up green, flew off the lid and landed on his arm to deliver a good solid jolt.
"Ow, s**t!" he hissed, dropping both jar and lid and rubbing his zapped arm as the bug flew off. It was a big zap too, shocking his arm from wrist to well above his elbow. Grumbling, Yukio bent and picked up his jar and lid and tossed them in the nearest trash can as he stalked away and out of the park. Oh well, there was always next year….
(wc: 656)
