Firefly FUN

Growing up in a small rural town back in the 70's, my family lived in an old farmhouse. My brother and I each had our own bedroom. Our house was set back off a winding road in the mountains of Virginia.

The stained wood floors creaked when you stepped on certain boards. There were all kinds of noises that the old house made on it's own.

My bedroom; upstairs, had a secret closet with hidden nooks and crannies. It was a wonderful room with large windows that stretched nearly ceiling to floor. The thick panes of glass had bubbles in them- a method of making glass from a time in the past. Inside the window casings were bricks and ropes that allowed the windows to be lowered and raised.

It was a nice room and a nice place to live. I was a lucky little girl to awaken to a view of mountains and trees from every window.

But when the sun went down and bed time was upon me, my room took on another dimension. It was BIG, DARK and SCARY to me. I imagined ghosts and witches hiding in my closet and under my bed. My room was the perfect spot for the "boogie man" to reside. There were no street lights to light up an outside view. I was scared and felt so small in my bedroom all alone.

On one particular Summer evening as I frolicked outside, I had a fantastic idea. I would collect fireflies, as many as I could possibly catch in the old mason jar my Mom let me use. I filled it up with the glowing creatures and secretly hid them away in my room.

After the bedtime stories were read and I was all tucked in for the night, I quietly tip toed to my hidden glowing treasure and opened the jar. Each wonderful glowing bug flew out into the room, flashing, glowing, flashing, glowing. I had finally found a way to overcome my fear of the dark.

So, here is the watercolor I painted to commemorate that wonderful glowing night in my bedroom where I was set free by the little night lights from above.