The Firefly Field Theory

~ EPILOGUE ~

EPILOGUE:

Consistently glowing little bulbs float above the hazy dark blades of grass. An infinite collections of shinning little lights, with a blaze so intensely stunning they lighten up the patches of grass they hover over.

I can't believe my eyes. It feels like the same dream, the same enveloping darkness of the night and the same expanse of a million floating flames, swaying above their home. Dancing in the crisp breeze and keeping warm by burning out their tiny little souls. It's the same field I drove my theory from.

But there is a difference. The burning little orbs, spread far and wide across the blades of damns are putting on display a glow of consistency. They don't twitch or fade into the dark.

The lighten up with all their strength and float about, occasionally resting upon the rising blades. They, unlike the fireflies from my dream, glow with a steady reliable light. A light that follows their little bodies like a golden Halo.I remember toppling the wall with evil proposes, but the dispersed faint light has stunned me completely. Z shakes my shoulder a little and points at something far in the distance.

I squint my eyes, and see that the two love birds in denial are standing on the little bald patch, holding each others hands. How fitting that I predicted they would fall for each other in this very field. 

In the haze, I see them both turn to look at us, everything is dim and muted; but I the only things that are clear apart from Omi's shinny bald head, are the smiles they have plastered on. They shine from the distance. And it makes me feel good about myself. I could help them out, there's a satisfaction in that.

We start making our way to them, shuffling through the lit grass, ruffling the damns of the Earth. I raise my hands occasionally captivated my the floating little insects blesses with a gift that they don't even realize. When Z, Wall-e and I, the stunned bad ass creeps finally reach the barren spot, Bravo captures me in a hug. I hug her back.

Z presents a challenge to Omi; if he really loves Bravo he'll catch her as many fireflies as he can. And if he can't he'll have to clean Colonel's badly mud clad minivan. Omi charges off into the glowing lights and waves his long arms around like a mad man. Even Z and Wall-e join in, running through the field, tackling Omi when he isn't watching to bring him down.

I remember something I've been meaning to ask Bravo related to the field. I look over at her smiling, dewy face and say, "Remember when we last came here? You were running from a crazy dog, and when you were standing on the wall minutes form safety you turned and said question your teaspoons. Why did you say that?"

"Before I ran off, I was telling you that you just have to come here with me at night, remember?" She says.

"No, you said, you just have to...SHIT!" I correct her providing accurate sound affects to tease her further.

She rolls her eyes and says, "Yeah well, I didn't mean to say that, that was because of the stupid dog. I said that, because after you told me your theory I thought you might alter it when you came here at night with me." A single lost light glows in the distance between us, then it moves to Bravo's still shoulder.

I ask her , "Why would I alter it?"

Her face is lit in golden, highlighting her cheeks and putting shadows under her eyes. "Question your teaspoons is a phrase that means question the ordinary. And what is its use, well, its to instill the newness of experience. Look around at the things you are not noticing about this field. Ordinary things, you are missing on them. And then think about your theory. How valid does it seem to you when you question your teaspoons?"

"Give me a hint, what am I missing?"

"What symbolizes good times or hope in your theory?" She ask me. And I don't mind, even though when people ask me question in response to mine, it pisses me off.

"The glow of fireflies." I answer without wasting a second. She smiles and asks, "Why?"

"Because..."

"Why not the ordinary?" She asks again.

"What is the ordinary?"

"Darkness." She says it all in one word.

A little glowing light comes to rest on my head, as if to symbolize the bulb that just lit up and brought to light what I was assuming wrongly. I know what she's trying to say. I nod and try to formulate what I feel in the form of words. But I can't. I hear an ouch in the distance and Omi runs to us, a single firefly en-caged in his bony fingers, from behind Wall-e yells, "I demand you let go of that helpless creature! You don't own it!"

Bravo smiles at Omi and he lets the firefly loose near her face. "Guys I think it's best if we leave now." Z says. So  we start walking back to the wall, since the back door of the house is probably locked. As we move across the field of million damns and a million fireflies, I think about what I've learned from the firefly field of reality. It is something I couldn't grasp from the one in my dream.

We spend so long thinking that the flash of light is all we need; we forget that most of our life is spent waiting for it. And that it's the darkness that symbolizes hope, it's what makes the light easy to spot.

The ordinary darkness, which like teaspoons; we don't consider.

Even when it's the darkness that gives us reason to believe good can and will happen.