When I was boy, fireflies were a fascination to me. I remember the excitement I felt when I spotted one. It always seemed that they appeared magically out of nowhere and would then quickly vanish. Being outside on a summer's evening and dashing through the yard to catch fireflies in a jar was a summertime ritual. I even wrote a poem about them. It was a loving ode praising their beauty and mystery. Life was so simple then, as were the pleasures.
So, as we sat on the deck of our North Carolina mountain cottage and watched the fireflies "glowing like candles for all to see" (yes, that is a line from said poem) I was overtaken by the urge to once again dash through the yard and catch fireflies. What fun it would be to rekindle the magic of a simple childhood pleasure. I couldn't wait!
Of course, first I needed something to put them in. After some deliberation, I thought of the small round water bottles the kids had been drinking from. One of those would be perfect! So, I found one and did my best to dry it out. Afterall, fireflies stuck to the inside of a wet water bottle isn't that much fun. I then used a fork and carefully made air holes in the top. After considering going barefoot, I decided it was best to wear shoes to avoid stepping on anything slimy or squishy in the yard. Having taken all the proper precautions, I told the kids that I was going to catch them some fireflies and I headed out into the cool, dark, night.
Dashing down the steps of the deck and into the yard, I felt just like a little kid again. In the distance, I spotted a bunch of fireflies down the hill near a line of trees. I moved quickly towards the tree line as I took the top off the bottle. The plan was set, I would swoop in upon them and grab a few of them before they had a chance to get away. Fireflies it seems, are not that clever because they kept blinking as I approached. They did not even try to hide. This was going to be too easy!
And then the strangest thing happened. They were gone! Just gone. I stood for a moment dazed and dumbfounded. I spun around as if I expected them to be behind me, but there was nothing but darkness. Perhaps I had underestimated them after all. After rethinking my plan, I decided to just walk around the yard and see if I could find some more. Whenever I would spot a firefly, I would again dash off in the direction that I saw it, only to find it was gone before I got there. I tried to look for clusters of them yet I would end up wandering aimlessly around the house.
Even though I had only been outside for about 15 minutes, I was beginning to question the whole point of this quest. Certainly, I did not expect this to be such a difficult task. I mean, how hard is it to catch fireflies? I was quickly losing interest and patience when I saw a firefly in the grass. It seemed to be moving slowly and wasn't blinking as much. Recognizing an opportunity, I quickly grabbed the feeble looking firefly and put it in my bottle. Even though it was not a prime sample, I still couldn't help feeling a little proud at my catch. I held the bottle up to my face and watched the firefly blinking inside the bottle and was eager to add to my collection.
I was about to head off and search for more when I had a moment of clarity. There was no reason for me to work so hard searching for the fireflies. I held the bottle up again and admired the bait that I would use to lure other unsuspecting fireflies! Feeling quite clever, I walked around the yard holding the bottle at arm's length. Surely, it wouldn't be so hard to catch them now, right? After all, isn't that little light supposed to attract other fireflies? I mean, why else would they have it? Well, after about 10 minutes of roaming around the yard like Frankenstein, I once again questioned this whole plan. I was expecting the fireflies to flock to me but that did not happen. Hell, not even one came anywhere near me. Was my firefly faulty? Maybe it somehow warned the others? Perhaps it used its light as some kind of morse code. "He has a bottle, stay away!"
I really didn't know, nor did I care. Catching fireflies was nowhere as much fun as I remembered it being and it definately was way harder than I recalled. Perhaps, catching fireflies is a young man's sport. Maybe 37 year old men aren't supposed to dash through the yard after fireflies. I decided I had enough and headed back to the house with my one firefly. I stood on the deck and looked out at the yard. Needless to say, there seemed to be fireflies everywhere. I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in my catch. I had envisioned a bottle glowing brightly with fireflies, instead all I had to show for my efforts was one lone firefly.
Soon after that, the boys came barrelling outside excitedly asking to see the fireflies I caught. I told them there was only one but that didn't dampen their enthusiasm. They all took turns holding the bottle and watching the firefly inside it and I remembered just why I went out into the yard in the first place, to catch them some fireflies. After they all had turns looking at the firefly we decided it would be best to let it go free. I took the top off the bottle and we all watched it fly away.
In the end, everything worked out just the way it should have. I may not have succesfully recreated my own childhood memories, but that no longer mattered to me. Instead, I had the joy of watching the faces of my three boys light up in smiles as they "oohed and ahhed" over one small firefly. It is a simple pleasure, but one that is timeless.
Scott, I loved reading this. To this day, a firefly sighting is still such a thrill to me, like winning a prize or getting something for free. It seems to me there aren't as many around as when I was a child, though whether this is just anecdotal experience or an actual verifiable trend I have no idea. Anyway, this was a pleasure to read.
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