Flicker was a very little firefly, and his light wasn't very bright. All the other fireflies in his family zoomed around the meadow, blinking and glowing with beautiful, strong lights. Flicker tried and tried to make his light bigger, but it just stayed a tiny little sparkle.
He felt sad. 'My light isn't good enough,' he whispered to his mama. Mama Firefly gently bumped noses with Flicker. 'Oh, Flicker,' she said, 'your light is perfect just the way it is. Every light in our family is special.'
Flicker didn't believe her. He flew off a little ways and tried to hide behind a big sunflower. He watched his brothers and sisters playing tag, their lights flashing like tiny stars. He wished he could play too, but he was afraid they wouldn't want to play with someone whose light was so small.
Suddenly, Flicker heard a tiny cry. A little beetle was lost and scared, hiding under a leaf. The beetle couldn't see very well in the dark. Flicker remembered what his mama said about his light being special. He flew closer to the beetle and blinked his little light as brightly as he could.
The beetle looked up and smiled. 'Oh, thank you!' she said. 'Your light helped me see! I was so lost.' Flicker felt a warm glow inside, even brighter than his little light. He led the beetle back to her family.
When Flicker returned to his own family, his brothers and sisters cheered. 'You helped someone!' they cried. 'That was very kind!' Mama Firefly hugged Flicker tightly. 'See?' she said. 'Your light isn't just for shining brightly, it's for helping others.'
Flicker realized his mama was right. His light *was* special, not because it was big, but because it helped someone in need. He joined his family, blinking his little light with pride. He knew that even the smallest light could make a big difference, especially when surrounded by the love of family.
As Flicker drifted off to sleep, nestled close to his mama and papa, he understood that the brightest glow wasn't just from a strong light, but from the warmth and love of his family. And that was the best light of all.