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Told from the perspective of sixteen-year old Lucing who with childlike
enthusiasm faces the reality of loss and grief by learning how to accept the
past, finding determination to live in the present and by taking a more
hopeful view of the future. A novella.

I.

Fireflies of Summer

II.

Beginnings

III.

Catching fireflies

Author's note:

I know I have always wanted to lose myself in writing.

Several years ago, I tried an experiment on how I can let my creative juices
flow out. I discovered the answer in photographs - I call them my writing
prompt. Writing prompts are things like words, or pictures, meant to trigger a
creative response. It is meant to counter writer's block.

I felt that pictures transport me to another place, another time, another

emotion. And from there I just let the words flow.

This is a story that started from one of those literary exercises.

Originally a short story and a part of my collection of works on my first and

sadly deleted blog at
http://wordprompts.wordpress.com/

Fireflies of Summer

The moon cast a crystal shadow over the fields outside. The chilly wind on
this summer night takes me back to my childhood and to a memory of a girl
named Nena.

She was my bestfriend. We used to do all things together: climb trees, swim
the beach near her father's nipa house, bury ourselves in the sand, get

scolded in class for talking too much, share our baon in school, fight with
nasty boys, cook rice from the little clay pots mother gave me and eat
whatever we cooked in it together. We loved catching fireflies together and
took it home inside a glass bottle like trophies until we release them in front
of our siblings.

One fateful evening when we were 10, we sneaked out of our houses to catch
fireflies out in the field when her brother's cry for help shattered the calmness
of the night. We ran to him and he dragged us with him in panic. He told us
their house is burning and that we needed to get help. From a distance I saw
a once familiar home engulfed by monstrous flames. Me and Nena stood in
shock at the horror taking place before us. Nena's brother and the other
neighbors tried to put the fire out with pails of water they collected but it was
too late.

Her parent's and sibling's remains were found huddled together. Their ashes
were thrown into the ocean.

"My brother and his family are moving to Manila tomorrow, and they are
taking me with them. He found a job at a factory. " Nena told me as we sat on
the cliff watching the sunset.

"Will you still be coming back here?" I asked her trying to hide my grief at
another pending loss.

"I'm not sure, but I hope to be back every summer." she said smiling at me.
"We still need to catch those fireflies together, don't we?" she added.

Half a dozen of summers later, the fireflies dancing like little fairies in the
moonlight outside my window reminded me of happier times. I wonder if
there are fireflies in the city to remind Nena of her old home.

As I joyfully watch the fireflies gather like some festivity in the dark, I heard a
knock at my front door.

A Few Summers Back

10 years ago

My name is Lucinda. Or at least that was how I wrote my name on my test

papers in school. As far as I can remember only my teachers called me that.

''Lucinda, stand up and write your answer on the board.''

''Are you listening to what I am saying Lucinda?''

''Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda!''

All the rest they called me Lucing.

I have gotten used to it although it really irritated me when my classmates

called me 'Aling Lucing', in reference to the name of the owner of the sari-sari
store in front of our school. Aling Lucing was a big, not-too-old woman who
wore giant spectacles on a face that would otherwise be mistaken for a
man's. She often had big plastic rollers on her head like she was in a middle
of a curling session inside a beauty salon and not a retail store. She looked to
me like a giant octopus, especially when she was accomodating who knows
how many students there were trying to get hold of her attention to buy
something in her store, all at the same time. I did not really hate her, it was
just that her countenance made my insides squirm. I have never seen her
smile. And whenever she asked me ''What do you want?'', it sounded like a

dragon just breathed fire on my face.

One day, while I was trying to buy some pad papers from her store, she
blurted one of her fiery ''What do you want!'' s again, I had forgotten what I
needed. I stared dumbfounded until another girl poked me on the shoulder. I
turned to my right, because I believed that was where the direction of the
poke came from. And I saw this girl with a playful smile on her face telling
me, 'She is asking you what do you want to buy.' And I saw her smile grew
wider and a missing front tooth. She looked so funny I forgot the monster that
is Aling Lucing. Still, I might have looked funnier to her, standing there like a
still photograph with my mouth wide open. Inside, I think we were both
laughing from each other's hilarious situation. As it happened, our mutual
fear of Aling Lucing vanished that day from a dose of silliness.

That day, I went away from that store with papers on my other hand and a
new friend on the other. She was Nena.

Catching Fireflies

Knock, knock, knock...The gentle tapping at my door continues.

''Who could this late visitor be?'', I muttered to myself as I walk towards the
door.

''Who is it?'', I called loudly now.

No answer.

''Who is it?'', I called again.

I peer through the window and my heart quivers at the sight of a black cat
who stares back at me before disappearing on the sly.

I am closing the curtains when another knock, now more forceful, came.

''Lucing! Lucing!'' and an echo of excited ''Tita Lucing! Tita Lucing'' followed.

I open the door, look down and as I am expecting I see two comical faces in
front of me. My five-year old neice Paulita with her big curly hair riding on top
of her little head is unmistakable even in the dark. The other one is her older
brother Andres whose unstoppable chattering makes my lola's radio sound
dull. They are both holding a glass jar and a lid on their hands.

''Tita Lucing look!Look outside! Fireflies!'', Andres exclaimed.

''Lucing, can you accompany these two in the fields tonight for me?'', My
kuya Bert asked. ''I have to take the tricycle out for work and your ate is
taking care of the little baby at home.''

''No problem kuya'', I told him.

''As long as you two behave'', I addressed the two little heads below me.

''Come now Tita Lucing! Hurry!'', the little chatterbox said again pulling me
outside of the house this time.

''Andres and Lucita, I have to go. Listen to your Tita Lucing and do not stay

out too late'', kuya Bert said.

''Bye, Lucing! Thank you.'' I wave goodbye to my kuya and find myself being
dragged by two ecstatic kids.

''I am going to catch more than you will'', Andres challenged his little sister.

''No! I will catch more!'', little Paulita answered him back. '' Right, Tita
Lucing?'' she asked me for reassurance.

I told them, '' Listen to me carefully, you can not catch fireflies if you are
quarelling. You have to stay calm and quiet. Now, follow me.''

''But...'', Andres tries again.

''No more buts.'', I told them both.

A few steps more and I come to an abrupt stop. One by one the little stellar
bugs are enveloping the fields. I realize this is the first time I am doing this
again in a long while. It is amazing to see the flicker and the twinkle of these
fascinating creatures close again.

The two little hands tug at me. Their merriment could not be contained
anymore. Andres and Paulita are running along trying to catch the fireflies
with their bare little hands.

It took maybe a quarter of an hour for us to catch the first one. And after an
hour we had three inside Andres' glass and also three inside Paulina's.

The glass jars are like lamps now. They illuminate the smiles on the little
faces before me. Reminding me once again of how I must have looked like as
a child.

There is a part of me that wishes it was Nena who was outside the door when
I opened it tonight. But as I look closely now at the trapped fireflies inside
these bottles I tell myself, ''After some time they have to get out. They can
not live here.'' Just like I can not live in the memories of my past.

We admire for a moment more the little creatures inside the glasses before I
finally had the heart to convince the little children to release their captives.

As I watch them slowly turn to open the lids, I breathed in for the last time all
remnants of days passed just to breathe them out finally together with the
fireflies release. While the fireflies slowly flutter their way to freedom, I felt
the cool evening breeze on my skin waken my senses anew.

We lay on the grass and enjoy watching the fireflies dance. This is a moment
to capture. In the midst of a dark blanket sky decorated with flying little
sparkles and the musical chatter and laughter of children, I make a small
petition. A supplication to lead the steps of Nena back home.

I think I heard the night wind blows with echoes of affirmation.