Once upon a time, nestled in a field of sleepy wildflowers, lived a little firefly named Flicker. Flicker wasn’t the brightest firefly in the meadow; his light was small and sometimes flickered out when he got scared. He wished he could shine as brightly as the older fireflies, but he worried he just wasn’t good enough.
One night, Flicker was practicing his blinking when he saw something fall from the sky! It wasn’t a raindrop, and it wasn’t a leaf. It was a tiny star, twinkling sadly on the grass. ‘Oh dear,’ said the star, whose name was Lumi. ‘I’ve fallen out of the night sky and I don’t know how to get back!’
All the other fireflies were busy preparing for the nightly glow-worm dance, and Flicker felt a little shy. He was just a small firefly, what could *he* do? But Lumi looked so lost and worried, Flicker knew he had to try. ‘Don’t worry, Lumi,’ he said, his little light blinking bravely. ‘I’ll help you!’
Flicker remembered Old Man Willow, the wisest tree in the meadow. Old Man Willow had seen everything and knew all the paths through the dark. Flicker carefully guided Lumi through the tall grass, his small light leading the way. It was a long journey, and Flicker’s light flickered more than once, but he kept going.
When they finally reached Old Man Willow, the tree smiled kindly. ‘Ah, a lost star,’ he rumbled. ‘The way back is to climb the tallest sunflower and shine your brightest. The other stars will see you and guide you home.’
But the tallest sunflower was *very* tall! Flicker worried Lumi wouldn’t be able to reach. ‘I’m too weak to climb that high,’ Lumi sighed. ‘And my light isn’t very strong.’
Flicker had an idea. ‘I’ll fly beside you, Lumi, and shine my light to help you see the way! And you just focus on shining your own light as brightly as you can.’
Together, Flicker and Lumi began to climb. Flicker flew and flew, his little light a steady beacon. Lumi, encouraged by Flicker’s kindness, focused all her energy on shining. Slowly, slowly, they climbed higher and higher.
Finally, they reached the top! Lumi took a deep breath and shone with all her might. Her light, combined with Flicker’s, was a beautiful sight. Immediately, other stars began to twinkle back, forming a shimmering path in the sky.
Lumi floated upwards, following the path of stars. She turned back to Flicker. ‘Thank you, Flicker,’ she called. ‘You were so brave and kind! I couldn’t have done it without you.’
Flicker watched until Lumi disappeared into the night sky, twinkling happily among her friends. He realized he didn’t need to be the brightest firefly to be important. He had helped someone in need, and that made his light shine brighter than ever before. From that night on, Flicker wasn’t afraid to let his light shine, knowing that even the smallest light can make a big difference.
And as Flicker blinked goodnight to the meadow, he knew that even little fireflies can have big adventures, and that kindness is the brightest light of all. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream sweet dreams.