Fireflies

This is a contest entry for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" , using the following prompt:

Write a story that includes an electric fan, a jar, and a blue pen.

289 words

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         Summers in Mississippi were hot and sticky. Savannah hated summer. The weather made her wish she was in Alaska. Savanna spent her summer days lying directly across from a little electric fan, a pad of paper within reach and a blue pen weaving through her fingers in the most intricate patterns.

         She wrote a lot. In fact, you could very well say that the only thing Savannah did during the summer was write. She would wake up, tromp down the stairs to say good morning to her family and eat breakfast, and then back upstairs to her notepad and pen she’d go. The only problem was when night came. There was only one outlet in her room, and Savannah dedicated this precious source of energy to cooling air. Thus, there was no light and she couldn’t see to write anything.

         One night a solution to the problem came to her. Grabbing a pickle jar, she crept outside. There, Savannah captured as many fireflies as she could and crammed them into the jar. Then she screwed the lid on tight and hurried back upstairs. She placed the jar by her notepad, and waited eagerly for the fireflies to light up so she could write.

         “They won’t glow,” Savannah’s mother said, appearing at the doorway.

         “Why not?” Savannah asked.

         “They aren’t meant to be kept in jars,” Savannah’s mom said. “Just like you aren’t meant to be kept in your room. Most things shine the brightest when they are free and think that no one is watching.”

         Savannah looked at the jar thoughtfully, thinking about what her mother had said. Maybe tomorrow she’d try to go outside and write. Now, however, she was going to let the fireflies shine their brightest.