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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.
Alanna loved fireflies. She always had, ever since she was a little kid. Every summer they'd appear in the family yard at night, rising from the grass on the edge of the property and from the bushes lining the house, and wink in and out in the dark. Logically she knew they were just bugs, but they were still a magical sight.
So every summer since she moved out for college, she would go to the big park and look for fireflies in the woods. It was a ritual by now, honoring the part of her that was still a little girl looking for wonder in a world that seemed to want to take that away from her. Star Festival seemed the best time to look for them; it occurred during the fireflies' mating season, when they were most likely to be seen, and it just seemed appropriate to look for wonder during a festival that celebrated it.
Tonight was no exception for Alanna's firefly hunt. She didn't want to capture them, that was cruel; she'd seen a few people with glass mason jars trying to scoop an unsuspecting bug into the container, and she just wanted to go and yell at them. You don't do that to a wild creature that's just trying to get some love before it dies! With a scowl she slunk deeper into the woods of the park, away from rude mean people. She'd seen a few fireflies there, maybe she'd get lucky again tonight.
She slipped through the trees and found herself in a small grassy clearing. Deeper in the park than she'd ever been, she looked around the moonlit clearing, and her mouth opened in awe at what she saw. Dancing around in front of her were fireflies, a lot of them; only these didn't look like ordinary fireflies. These were blinking in and out with glowing colors. Blue, red, green… A few normal white ones, but not many. Mostly these strange, colorful little bugs, their bioluminescent butts winking in random, almost erratic patterns.
What the actual ******** almost wanted to catch one so she could get a better look at it. She was used to weird s**t going on in Destiny City, especially during its festivals, but this was one of the weirdest and most beautiful. Smiling, she reached out her hand, attempting to lure one to land on her. "Come on, you little shits," she murmured. "I won't hurt you."
All she wanted was a better look, a closer examination to see if she could spot what made these fireflies so different. Every time one appeared to approach her outstretched hand, she held her breath a little, or let out a small quiet gasp that would startle the insect away. She'd mutter a silent curse, take a couple of deep calming breaths, and relax to try again.
This went on for what felt like hours. Finally a blue one came close to her hand. Alanna held as still as she possibly could, barely even breathing. The little bug came closer…. Closer….
And lit on her hand with a sharp, sudden electric jolt before flickering off again to rejoin the others.
"Ow!" Alanna yelped, quickly pulling her hand back and clutching at it with her other hand as if she'd stuck her finger in a wall light socket. That hurt!! "What the ********???" It was too dark even with the moonlight to get a look at her hand, but she felt certain that the jolt of weird, high-voltage electricity had left a tiny little burn mark on her skin. She rubbed the spot with her thumb, glaring out at the colorful little fireflies dancing in the clearing.
She wouldn't make that mistake again….
(word count: 624)
