A Special Child

The fireflies (short)

Mono still didn't want to spend the night inside my house. That meant I stayed outside for as late as I could. I didn't mind too much then, he knew how to take care of himself, although I hoped he'd change his mind before winter comes...

This evening. I managed to interest Mono with a game of rock paper scissors. There was nothing to lose and nothing to win. He seemed a little hesitant and distracted at first... but he ended up pretty focused after the first couple of rounds. Every time he won, I'd let out a 'shocked' gasp, which seemed to please him, and every time I won, he was already ready and insisting for a rematch. 

All of a sudden, he stopped playing, staring at something behind me.

I followed his stare, glancing behind me. There was nothing there... "Mono? What is it?"

"Shh..." He continued staring, so I kept staring at the same spot with him.

Finally, a tiny shiny yellow thing glowed in the air, then disappeared. "There." Mono whispered, pointing towards the glow. Well, where it happened.

The shiny glows kept coming! About three more tiny lights flashed before Mono excitedly or worriedly stood on his feet to watch. I could only imagine that his actual eyes were as wide as the holes on his paper bag.

I smiled with relief and looked down at Mono. "Do you know what fireflies are?"

He took a glance at me, and stayed silent for a moment. "...A little."

"You heard about them? Or saw them?"

"Heard a little."

"So you know they're not dangerous, right?"

Mono didn't answer, but he started moving towards the bugs.

I wasn't sure if he liked the scene as much as I did. He was just staring, and taking a few steps back when a bug flashed too close to him.

"They don't bite." I brushed a firefly out of the air and put my knee down to show the glowing bug on my hand. "See?"

Mono stared from where he was a moment, then curiously approached me to get a better look, tilting his head as he did so... But before he could get close enough to his liking, the bug flew away!

the boy's head perked up with surprise, but he didn't seem afraid; he was already trying to catch it! But quickly enough, the bug was flying too high, just barely out of his reach... to his short frustration.

I simply sat down and watched, as the child continued a hunting spree. Not a violent one, no, but every time he missed to catch a firefly, he got more agitated by frustration. He stopped to throw a glance my way, as if to say 'why was it so easy for you??' Maybe he hadn't noticed, but, he's really small.

"...Look! There!" I pointed at a little glow in the grass.

As quietly as a cat (inhumanly so), Mono sneaked up on the little light, then threw himself at it. There was a pause, then he looked under his hands... and finally, he sat in the grass to stare down at the glowing bug in the palm of his hands. Like nothing could possibly take his attention away from it.

eventually it flew away, causing Mono to let out a tiny gasp-like noise. But he just watched... he put his hands down on the grass behind him to stare at the fireflies above.

"The..." He mumbled, glancing in my direction "They come here... a lot?..."

"...They're around sometimes... about a couple of weeks every year..."

He tilted his head and stared at the fireflies above again. He really didn't seem to hate it at all.