Fireflies

With a weight in my chest, I bring the dogs outside for their last call of the night. I’ve resolved to go to bed early so I can stop having to be awake with this unnameable feeling. I want to get this over quick; out and then in.

But when we step outside into the evening summer air, our quick potty break is interrupted by flickers of light scattered all around us.

The puppy is transfixed by fireflies.

She watches them closely, her little head dipping and lifting to follow their movements. One of them lands in the long grass just ahead of us. She jumps forward and touches it with her nose. The moon is a silver sliver above us, a few stars visible even with all the artificial light here in this parking lot. The puppy snaps at the air now; she would like to eat a firefly.

But mostly she stares, and stares, and stares.

Next
Next

Hope is the thing