(A Flash Fiction)
Jer sat alone, on the stone bench, in the park. This late in the evening, it was devoid of life. She wasn’t coming. He knew this, because he hadn’t told her. But he wasn’t alone. He had someone, or something—or both—with him. He kept it in an imaginary, glass jar. One kept close to his heart; In his heart, he liked to believe. Intertwined.
A nameless firefly.
“Love,” he resolved, at that moment.
He
raised a hand to his chest. Jer could feel it pulsing, glowing
rhythmically with his heartbeat. Thump thump; a beacon shining through
his soul. Dimmer now, though, than just hours before. Dying.
Love
never belonged to him. It was her’s to give, not his to take. A lesson
of grave importance: Love deserved to be free, not caged in fear. Free
to explore, learn, and experience as it may.
He took a deep breath, reached inside, and slowly twisted the lid. Thump thump; the anticipation! Love knew what was to come.
A
solitary tear streamed down Jer’s cheek, as Love burst forth from what
it certainly thought its demise. He sat entranced, as Love exploded and
split into millions of duplicate fireflies. Dancing, lighting the night
sky, each pulsed and glowed in unison; to him, the Universe.
Connected. Beautiful.
Eyes
closed, star-bound, he watched them surge around the world. Her Love,
his Love—their Love—free to leave footprints where it may.
More tears flowed. His beacon to the infinite illuminated anew.
This is really good and NOT rated R .... see we have compatibility possibilities and I personally love Fireflies, which we do not have in Florida , so when we travel we catch as many as possible and set them free to fly around our hotel rooms! Awful I know... we might be born worms in the next life...Karmic debt for misplacing Fireflies
ReplyDeleteOkay okay, perhaps we really do have some compatibility possibilities :-) And no worries, if anything I write gets anywhere close to being finished it will likely be a children's book. So there's that.
DeleteThat is an odd obsession with Fireflies lol But on the bright side, maybe you will be an earth worm in Australia. Have you seen the size of those things?!
This piece was partially inspired by the song "Fireflies" by Owl City, but mostly some personal situations going on in my life at the time.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!