Fireflies

Prologue: Fireflies

The air was filled with laughter, as a father and his young child chased fireflies with jars near the creek. A house laid upon a hill that was closely positioned towards the excitement below. From the darkness to the light, the house burst with life as guests for a party had started to arrive. The father told his child that it was time for her to wish upon the stars and go to bed.

With a tone of grief and guilt, he told his daughter that " as long as there are stars in the sky, I will always love you and be with you." She looked up at her father with big eyes and asked him, " Daddy, why are you so sad?" He didn't want to answer, all he saw when he looked into her eyes was his own disappointment, it wasn't worth telling his precious daughter about his problems.

He playfully grabbed her by the waist and threw her into the air. She laughed, and it made him happy to know that she had lost the thought of sadness that had poured over her, at least for now. He put her down on the ground and she picked up a jar and so did he, the fireflies were magnificent. Hand in hand they walked to the house on the hill, but before they were able to open the door, an angry face appeared.

"Hi Mommy! Guess what!? Daddy and I caught fireflies and......" The angry face was her mother, and the girl didn't know why she was so mad. It puzzled her to think that it could have been something she had done. She looked at her father and then back at her mother, before she knew it they were already arguing again. Her mother hadn't even heard a word come out of her mouth.

She was sad. "Jane, I don't have time for this right now, just let me put Maude to bed." Her mother was about to explode, "Greg, you don't have time for anything anymore besides drugs, alcohol, and God knows what else. I waited all day for you to come home today, and you didn't even bother saying hello. Do you know what it's like to raise a child! You're never home, and you don't care that Maude is upstairs half the time crying herself to sleep every night because you aren't there to say you love her!......." By then, her father had already walked her halfway up the stairs and her mother was still yelling.

If it hadn't been for the noise that had just erupted from the living room, Jane probably would never had remembered that a bunch of drunkards were in her house. She walked into the room and told them to get out, they were a bit hesitant at first, but they all eventually left. "What a screw up party Greg!" One of the men shouted up the stairs. Maude's father watched from her window as he saw car headlights go on, and heard car engines start. The lights passed through the curtains and caught her in the face, she knew this was hard for him, but she didn't know why.

Finally, Greg was able to put his daughter to bed. He tucked her in, and kissed her on the forehead, and before he went, "Daddy, can you tell me about the stars?" Every night that he was home, he had to tell her about them. "OK, what do you want to know?" He asked her the same question each night, because he loved the answer. "I want to know how much of your love comes from the stars." He told her how he made the stars for her, and that every night that she looked in the sky and saw them, she would know that he was looking and thinking about her at the same time. As long as the stars were bright, he loved her.

When Maude was finally a sleep, Greg made his way down the stairs and was ready to set eyes on the one thing that scared him most. He walked into the living room and found Jane on the couch exhausted and almost a sleep. When he thought she was sleeping, and was about to leave the room, "don't think you can be the coward Greg. You know we have to do something about this, you're never home and you don't make enough money to help me to pay the mortgage. I don't care if our relationship is dying, but don't ruin Maude's chance at having a father. I already scheduled an appointment with my lawyer for a divorce, I know that doesn't bother you, but you better be ready to fight for custody of Maude."

He walked Out of the house in disbelief, he had to process what she had just said to him. Did she really just threaten him with Maude!? He got into his car in a daze, and left. He drove to his run down apartment complex in the town and got out of his car. He got his keys out of his pocket and walked up the stairs of the building, completely shocked, he missed the key lot several times. How could she take my child away from me? Even if Maude loved him, Jane still had the upper hand. She was employed, she was never arrested for anything, she was practically clean. He would never see Maude again.

After Maude heard her father's car leave, she couldn't go back to sleep. She got out of her bed and looked out the window, the whole sky was filled with stars. She recognized foot steps approaching her door, her mother's. She quickly ran back to her bed, pulled up her covers and pretended she was a sleep. The door opened, and her mother came in. "I know you're awake Maude. Can you please look at me?" He mother sounded desperate, so she unraveled her covers and looked up at her mother. She looked at her mother. "You do know I love you, right?" What was a six year old to say when her mother was crying to her? She just nodded her head yes, and gave her a hug.

Everyone was eventually a sleep, and all Maude could do was dream. She dreamt of her mother, shoulder length dark red hair and brown eyes, and her father with short brown hair, blue eyes and glasses. They were all happy together, they were on the beach and her parents were adoring her so much that it annoyed some of the other parents. That is how she wanted her life to be again. She wondered if her life would ever be the same, and then she fell in a deep sleep that wouldn't end until the time was right. Tomorrow was a new day.