Luna was a little firefly, and like all fireflies, she was supposed to blink. But Luna had a problem. She couldn’t find her blink! She tried and tried, squeezing her little firefly tummy, but instead of a bright flash, she just…glowed. A steady, soft glow, like a tiny nightlight. She felt very sad.
Every evening, all the other fireflies would gather in the meadow, blinking their lights in a beautiful, sparkling dance. They blinked hello, they blinked goodnight, they even blinked little messages to each other. Luna wanted to join, but she was too embarrassed. She hid behind a big sunflower, listening to the cheerful *blink-blink-blink* of her friends.
Old Man Tiber, a wise cricket who lived under the sunflower, noticed Luna’s sadness. He hopped closer. “What’s troubling you, little one?” he chirped kindly. Luna explained about her missing blink, her voice barely a whisper. “I just want to be like the others!”
Old Man Tiber listened carefully. “Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Perhaps you are listening *too* much to the others. Close your eyes, Luna. What do *you* hear?” Luna closed her eyes. At first, she only heard the blinking of the other fireflies. But then, she started to notice other sounds.
She heard the gentle rustle of the leaves in the breeze, a soft *whoosh-whoosh*. She heard the sleepy chirping of the frogs, a peaceful *ribbit-ribbit*. She heard the distant hoot of an owl, a quiet *hoo-hoo*. And then, she heard something inside herself – a quiet, steady hum.
“I…I hear a hum,” she said, opening her eyes. Old Man Tiber smiled. “That’s *your* sound, Luna. Your special glow is a different kind of light. It’s a calm, peaceful light. It doesn’t need to blink to be beautiful.”
Luna thought about this. She looked at her steady glow. It *was* peaceful. And it helped her see the tiny details around her – the dew drops on the petals, the fuzzy legs of the bumblebees. She realized her glow wasn’t wrong, it was just…different.
She flew out from behind the sunflower and joined the other fireflies. She didn’t blink, but she glowed. And the other fireflies noticed. “Your light is so calming, Luna!” one of them blinked. “It’s like a little star!” another blinked. Luna smiled. She didn’t need to blink to fit in. She was perfect just the way she was.
From that night on, Luna continued to glow, a gentle beacon in the meadow. She learned that listening to the world around her, and to the quiet hum within herself, was the most wonderful sound of all. And as she glowed, she helped all the other little creatures find peace and quiet before drifting off to sleep.