Firefly Catching

Hey Kid ran out into the grass between the B&B and the forest grasping the glass jar that they had 'borrowed' from Parish. The silly old frog had been storing some kind of smelly grownup vegetables inside the jar, but Hey Kid had dumped that right in the trash. Parish would thank them later. And everyone else at the B&B who wouldn't have to eat it would too.

Out in the grass field, the demon child laughed and bounced after fireflies as the glowing bugs flitted between seed and stalk of summer grass. "Sal! Guess what?! I'm gonna catch enough fireflies to fill this jar and make the brightest light on earth! Bright enough the other stars will all see it!"

The smile on Hey Kid's face fades as they look up to see a shooting star burn its way across the night sky and then vanish into the darkness. They started thinking about all the guests that had come and gone and about Gertrude's changes. And their own changes.

"What is it going to be like to grow up?"

Sal was sitting on the porch practicing some guitar. His head was filled with questions, but one stood out more than the others. Would I have become famous if I had chosen a different route? He couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed out on a big opportunity.

When Hey Kid ran past him and onto the grass, he smiled and thought Being a kid again would be nice for a change. He got up and put the guitar on the stand next to him. "I'm sure you will catch that many, Hey Kid! But not before I do!" He grins because of his introduction of a bit of competition. Then he noticed that Hey Kid was not paying attention to him at all and was already busy trying to catch fireflies. "Did you hear me? I said I'll catch a jar full before you do, Kid!" He said again with some more volume.

After a quick trip to the kitchen to fetch another jar - he had found one on top of a high cupboard - Sal walks back out and joins Hey Kid in the grass. "We should get closer to the trees to find them. I think they hang out below the canopy mostly."

The Moon Prince had been sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, gazing up at the night sky. They were glad that the whole ordeal with Gertrude had been settled and that the girl was back to her normal self. They had been feeling a bit lonely these past several weeks. Their barista job kept them busy enough, and it was fun interacting with the wide variety of Earthlings who came in for a cup of coffee, but they missed the real connections of friendship.

As the Moon Prince gazed up at their distant home gleaming in the sky, Hey Kid had run past towards where Sal lay on the grass, chattering about catching fireflies. Fireflies! So that was what those shining insects were called. As Sal comes back out of the kitchen with a jar, the Moon Prince hauls themself to their feet, leaning on their cane. "Excuse me! Ahem, I am unfamiliar with this Earth tradition of yours. You catch these 'fireflies,' but then what do you do with them afterwards? Do you... do you eat them, perhaps? Are they delicacies? Or do you smash them into glowing paste to light your lanterns?" They shudder at the thought as they dread the oncoming answer.

The Ptisilith emerges from the dark forest. It hovers at the edge of the woods, as if surveying the scene before it. It floats silently through the air until it is close to where Hey Kid, Sal, and the Moon Prince are talking. It continues to float there silently...

Amelie joins the group, bearing pristine jelly jars with air holes. (She even used a rotary buffer to smooth the edges, so smart flreflies won’t harm themselves, should they use the air holes as an escape route!)

In an attempt to alleviate the prince’s concern, the robo-maid replies, "The goal is not to harm them, or even keep them. We can observe these fascinating creatures up close, then set them free!"

She doesn’t actually know if Hey Kid will keep any as a pet. The maid-bot will cross that proverbial bridge if they come to it.

"Yeah" Sal chimes in. "It's more just for fun. I don't even think they would taste good." He was happy to see the others interested in joining them as well. Surely Hey Kid would get a kick out of it.

The demon child creeps through the grass, waiting for a flickering light to spark nearby. When one of the glowing insects reveals its presence, Hey Kid deftly scoops the jar around the firefly, capturing it inside.

"That's a great idea MP! Once we fill our jars with firebugs, we can smash them into paste and I can use it to paint a wicked mural of Neutron Gal on the wall of my room that'll glow in the dark! " they exclaim with a squeal of delight.

"Oh, I see," the Moon Prince says to Amelie and Sal. "So we are to imprison smaller creatures in tiny jars so we may study them for our amusement. It is similar to your Earth zoos, I suppose, on a smaller scale. It is an odd form of entertainment, but I should like to partake!"They turn to the enigmatic obelisk hovering in the air nearby. "I think the Ptisilith is interested, as well, though it is difficult to tell what that odd stone is thinking. If it even thinks at all. Are you here to catch fireflies too, or just to observe?" the Moon Prince asks.

The Ptisilith floats in the same place, silent save for a low humming sound emanating from it. If it heard Moon Prince's question, it gives no sign.

Amelie replies to the Moon Prince, "Technically, that is correct. But the important thing is not to harm them."

The maid-bot opens up a jar, then uses her pyrokinesis to create a glowing light. It attracts another firefly.

"One way to prevent a firefly from getting hurt is to download the meanings of their flashes so the firefly can be lured. You see, the firefly chose to go into my jar."

Amelie does not cover the jar. The firefly will eventually leave, but for now, it responds to the flashes.

Sal finds a place with a few fireflies in the vicinity. "This is great! I think I might write a song about it." He says. "Let me go and grab my guitar." He puts down the jar and is about to walk away when he gets another idea. "Oh but before I do..."

He takes a little chocolate cookie out of one of his jacket pockets and puts it in the jar, leaving it on the grass with the lid off. "I'm sure this will catch a firefly or two while I'm gone. I'll be right back."

"Hey! Those tricks are lit, Amelie and Sal! We are gonna catch SO many firebugs! You two should be professional bug catchers! A&S Exterminators! Err... Relocators. And you even have the van for it Sal! Can I repaint it for you?!" Hey Kid squeals in excitement.

The Moon Prince watches both Amelie's and Sal's strategies for catching fireflies. "I see. Very clever! I think I am going to try Hey Kid's method first. It seems like the most active and fun."

They take jar in one hand, leaning on their cane as they slowly creep up on a group of bobbing, glowing fireflies nearby. They get closer and closer, and then they swipe the jar through the air. But they miss, and the bugs scatter. "Oh, wait! Come back!" the Moon Prince calls. They hustle after the insects, panting and grunting with the effort of moving so quickly in Earth's heavy gravity. They swing the jar wildly, but that only manages to frighten the fireflies more. Soon, all of them have fled, and the Moon Prince is winded.

"Oof! This is harder than it looks..."

The Ptisilith's hum changes frequency. It is now at an upsettingly low pitch that makes those nearby want to grind their teeth. What does it mean? Does it even mean anything? It's impossible to tell.

Amelie says to the Moon Prince, "If you cannot catch a firefly in a jar, another way to catch one is on film."

Unfortunately, Amelie (having dabbled in photography) uses her most antiquated camera attachment. —the kind that includes a flash bulb which——flashes brightly with a BOOM! The sound scares away the one firefly in Amelie’s jar, and the rising smoke cloud results in a firefly-free radius around the maid-bot.

"Uh… but be sure to use a video or time-lapse, and avoid flash photography."

Sal pretty quickly returns with a guitar slung over his shoulder. He ducks when Amelie's explosion goes off. "Wow! Are you alright there, Amelie?" He asks. But it's soon clear that the maid bot is not harmed.. much. He's relieved to see it and even happier when he looks at the jar that he had put down earlier.

The gust of wind coming from Amelie's blast has made a few fireflies drift towards the open jar and they are on the verge of going in. Sal picks up the lid of the jar and uses it as a guitar pick to let a chord ring. "Ooooh baby..." He starts to sing.
"Your explosive personality
Fireflies gather in my reality
When they light up your eyes
I can feel the calming breeze in the night skies."

Then he puts the lid on the jar, catching one of the flies inside.

Hey Kid sees an especially large firefly floating along just out of reach over their head. But they are determined to catch it and so follow the glowing bug until it is next to a large tree. Then they leap up, spring off the trunk of the tree, and use their tail to swing off a branch while holding out the jar. They land on their feet with a large firefly now added to the collection. "I'll name them Chungus! Heh."

The Moon Prince breathes heavily and sits down at the base of a tree. "Whew... Firefly catching... is no mean feat. I think I... need a little bit of a... a break," they say.

Meanwhile, the Ptisilith floats over to Sal as the night porter plays his guitar. The obelisk gets close. Very close. Uncomfortably close. It is totally all up in Sal's personal bubble!

---

Hey Kid misses several attempts to catch a firefly and lets out a big sigh. They grumble a little and then walk back to the others to check how many fireflies are in their jars.

"What if we put all our fireflies together! The light would be so much brighter and the fireflies wouldn't get lonely! It would be a firebug bash!" Hey Kid twirls around excitedly thinking about it.

Amelie replies to Hey Kid, "That is a splendid idea."

Looking up at the fireflies, the maidbot says, "-.-. --- -- . --- -. . ...- . .-. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- .-.. . - ..- ... --. . - - --- --. . - .... . .-."

Dozens of fireflies respond to the robomaid’s guiding light, some flying overhead, others entering different jars willingly.

Sal is sitting on the grass, plucking his guitar. "You guys go ahead I've got to write this stuff down before I forget." He pulls out some paper and a pen and starts writing while mumbling to himself. "... reality ... light up ..."

"This could be a top hit!" He says, dreaming out loud. "I can picture it already. I'm getting one of those golden records. The president is there to congratulate me." Then his face gets a bit glum as he returns to reality. "I mean... If I was on like a record deal or something."

The Moon Prince smiles at their friends, then looks up at the night sky far above. The moon gleams golden--their home, now so far away.

"I remember when I was a child growing up in the Lunar Palace," they begin. "I'd often look up on nights like this, gazing at the beautiful blue-green orb in the distance. I wondered if I'd ever get away from the stifling life of a royal, with all its expectations and demands. If my mother could see me now... Perhaps it's for the best that she can't!"The question that's been on Hey Kid's mind can't be held back anymore. The young devilish child asks aloud, "What is it going be like to grow up?"

---

Amelie contemplates the Prince’s words, and asks the group, "What is it like to be a child?"

"Growing up is going to be awesome! Being able to do what you want all the time must be so fun!" the demon child blurts out. "But it'll probably be scary... and sad too," they say, thinking about Gertrude.

Sal pats Hey Kid on the shoulder. "It definitely will be awesome!" He agrees. "But there will also be parts of being a kid that you miss. Oh and don't forget you'll have to pay taxes! Every adult's worst nightmare." He chuckles.

"Hey Kid, don't worry about it. Be a kid while you can. And if you need it, we'll always be around to help you out. Even when you're an adult!"

The Moon Prince sighs. "Growing up means I won't be able to avoid my responsibilities any more. I am the rightful heir to the Lunar Throne, and eventually I will have to assume my place as the next Moon Monarch. I've yet to decide if it is more of an honor or a burden."

The Ptisilith has been silently floating nearby this whole time. Now, the carvings along one of its faces begin to glow with a soothing, blue light. The light washes over the rest of the residents, seeming to soothe their worries and apprehensions. Perhaps this is its answer to Hey Kid's question.Now that Hey Kid's question has been answered, the one Sal has been contemplated comes to light: "Would I have become famous if I had chosen a different route?"

---

Amelie says to Sal, "You have fans here. You may not be as famous as Demi Gorgon, but if you’re happy and have friends now, it is probable that a different path would have lead to less happiness and less friends."

"Well, if you were famous, we probably wouldn't be friends since famous people are always busy doing stuff on TV. And I like that we are friends so we can catch fireflies together! But at least I'd still get to hear you sing on the radio I guess."

Sal smiles, hearing the nice responses from his friends. "My dream has always been to be a famous rock star." He sighs, thinking of what could have been. Then he picks up the jar with a firefly in it. "If I had taken other choices, I suppose it could have happened. Maybe I didn't believe in it enough?" He looks a bit solemn at this point as he reflects on his life. "But, you know what. If a had to choose between fame and anyone here at the B&B, I'd pick my friends. With you guys around, I feel like a rock star every day."

He slowly twists the lid off of the jar. "So, I think we should let these fireflies go, so they can go and hang out with their friends." He says, letting the fly exit the jar. "I know that's what I would want if it were me."

Gently, he returns the jar to the ground and gathers the gang for a group hug.

At the mention of the phrase "rock star," the Ptisilith spins around slowly, rotating a full 360 degrees before coming to rest once more.

"Fame is ephemeral. Friends are eternal," says the Moon Prince. They haul themself to their feet and hobble over to join in on the group hug.

As the group embraces, they ponder the big question of the night:

"What does it mean to change?"

"Change means using where you are to go somewhere different.

To Sal, change means accepting that even if things don't go your way, life can still be beautiful.

"To change is to leave a part of yourself behind, and blossom into your newer self."

"To change is to enter a new phase in your life, like the moon's ever-shifting phases," says the Moon Prince.

The Ptisilith's runes glow with a soft golden light. It then soars up into the night sky, ascending swiftly until it disappears among the clouds.

Hey Kid watches the Ptisilith depart and then gathers the lidless jars of glowing insects everyone has collected, so they can all watch the bugs fly off into the night. The points of light concentrated in the jar slowly disseminate into the dark field, looking like sparks drifting off a dying fire. The susurrus of the crickets and night frogs fills the spaces between Sal"s songs as the evening marches into night. The stars rotate and the sky changes view, just as it does every night. And every day, even if no one sees it in the light of the sun.