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STORYTIME TAPESTRY
The Newsletter devoted to spreading love
and cultural awareness throughout the world
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Special Treat ??“ Monika Pant
Jan 14, 2006
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The Firefly ?
(A Children??™s Story) Monika Pant ? Rahul had to get out of his house that night. How
he would manage to do that, without his parents observing him, needed
careful planning. Today, he would be very, very good. He would have his
dinner without fuss, and feigning a headache, (something his mother
always
seem to suffer from) he would go up to bed. ? At 8.30 pm, he was
in bed. Now, he would have to wait for his parents to go to bed. The
problem was staying awake. He kept pinching himself every minute, to
keep himself from dozing off. ? Rahul felt under his pillow to make
sure that his net was there. He had constructed it himself with little
bits of netting and a wire loop, and it had a stick for a handle. ? He
woke up with a start! All was still around him. Looking at his bedside
clock, he realized it was 2 am. He must have dozed off. But now he was
wide awake. On tiptoe he went, a white figure in his pyjamas, down the
stairs, careful not to step on the one that creaked and finally he
reached the front door. ? Opening it, he felt braver. It was a
full-moon night, and the garden seemed silvery. Holding the net in one
hand and his slippers in another, he went out and closed the door behind
him. ? Rahul was a collector. A collector of shells, shiny stones,
bright wrapping paper, matchbox labels and tiny models of cars. The
latest craze was collecting insects. Beetles and bugs in little
matchboxes, with holes on top for air, were lined on his bookshelf.
Today, he had to catch a firefly. ? The scene that was before him was
magical. The dewy grass and
cool breeze lifted his spirits. And woke him
up good and proper. Now, for that firefly. He hoped to find a dark
corner where the three tall trees formed a canopy of sorts, and
moonlight made specks on the ground. ? He had barely entered the nook,
when he heard voices. He stopped in his tracks and pinched himself to
see if he was dreaming. OUCH! My God! What a din they made, almost as
bad as the boys at school. School! He wished his friends were here. They
would never believe him if he told them about
this! ? ???Oh no,??? said a
caterpillar to another, ???Someone??™s coming.??? ? ???So late at night!??? ???How
could he have known that we are having a moonlit party???? said another,
munching on a leaf. ? ???Shh??¦ what a din you make.???
? ???Chomp??¦Chomp??¦he??™ll catch you and put you in his net as he did with
Bugsy Beetle.??? ? ???Let me tell you,??? began Miss Ladybird, ???that it is
not proper to eat in such
a manner.??? ? ???Oh, SHUT UP!??? came a unison of
crackly voices. ???The boy is almost here, let??™s hide.??? They scrambled
under leaves and twigs. ? Rahul stopped to listen. Never had he
imagined himself to be such an ogre.
? ???Well,??? he thought, ??? to work???,
as he spied a firefly among the bushes. He quietly crept towards it,
when he heard it say, ??? Come along, come along, I don??™t have all night.
Will all the little bugs line up and come together???? it said, lighting
the way for the tiny-tots. Rahul paused, not wanting to disturb their
nocturnal activities. ? ???How could he catch the firefly and leave the
little ones in the dark???? He waited patiently for it to come
back. ? ???There it was!??? ? Rahul managed to put the net over it, when
he heard
it cry out, ???Oh no, don??™t, I am needed in the insect
kingdom.They cannot see in the dark.??? ? ???You can light up my
insectarium,???said Rahul, grinning. ? ???Bb??¦but??¦why do you want to catch
us? We??™ll die very soon.??? ? ???I??™ll give you leaves to eat and water to drink.??? ? ???Little boy, our lives are not very long, let us live in
peace in the wilderness.??? ? Rahul hesitated, but stilling the voice in
his heart, he went inside his house stealthily and took out a matchbox.
? ???Oh no!??? screeched the firefly, ???Don??™t put me in that little cave,
I??™ll die. I need to fly about, I need to light the way for others.???
? Rahul pondered, and said, ???But you just said that your life is very
short.
Why is it so???? ? ???Because??¦,???said the firefly, ???Mighty Nature has
made us live a short life, clambering, creeping, crawling about, as we
did not value our time in our previous lifetime, and wasted our lives
away. A life is for living for others. You do the same, and see what
happiness it brings you.??? ? Pausing to
catch its breath, the firefly
continued, ???Anyway, what will you do with us? You will show us to your
friends, and very soon, when we die, you will throw us away. Let us live
and die in your garden.??? ? Rahul paused awhile. ? Shuddering, he
remembered the time he had got locked in the garage by mistake.He had
spent an hour there, imagine spending a whole lifetime? ? One by one,
he picked up the matchboxes and went out into the garden. Slowly, he
opened them and let out the insects. ? ???Firefly, firefly, light up
their way back to their homes,??? he said. ???Sure, little boy, and thank
you.??? ???Goodbye,??? said Rahul, as he saw it flitting among the bushes, a
friendly glow in the dark. ? Nov 1, 2005
Monika Pant
mpant65@sify.com
I am an English teacher, teaching senior students in La Martiniere Girls'
College Lucknow. I have been a teacher for about 10 years now .I am hoping
someone, somewhere would just give me an opening and I could leave everything
and just write...(Am I echoing the sentiments of all writers?)
My interests are writing and reading, drawing, singing, music enlivens me and
issues around me disappoint me.
I have just about gone through some cycles of chemotherapy,( My doctor is
hopeful of my recovery) and that has opened my eyes to the beauty of life, a
lifetime, which is too, too short to accomplish all that I have to do, and I
have had the privilege to see beyond the outer facade of people. I have a
caring husband who is an Urdu poet and two lovely daughters who are very
creative.
Love ,
Monika
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