Catching Firefly (Firefly Series #1)
Written by Iaeious

Prologue

My life has been so miserable ever since.

Mom and dad always fought every night because of me. Dad was always drunk and came home late. My mom was often frustrated with my dad's actions, which resulted in quarrels.

They have always been like this.

There is no stopping the hurtful words. And most of all, it ends with dad being violent.

Mommy got bruised and scarred. She didn't want to leave the house because her face was already covered in bruises. She also didn't want to complain because mommy was afraid that daddy might hurt me.

Here I am now in bed, sitting. Deep thinking is uneasy. I try to avoid hearing the words my father utters to my mother. My mother cried and moaned because of my father's pain, forcefully suppressing her sobbing. The volume of the music being listened to is increased.

But my tears betrayed me when they started to fall again. Although I kept wiping them, it wasn't enough to stop them.

Very painful...

Will I really never experience being happy with my parents?

I closed my eyes for a moment and felt the cool breeze of May.

As I looked around my room, I felt strange... My drawings made me happy and became a way for me to escape the dark world around me.

Over the side table, I grabbed a case and stood up.

I managed to smile before I hurriedly removed them from the walls and put them inside the case. I also took my colored pencils and sketch pads and put them inside.

I took quick steps out of my room without noticing my footsteps outside the house.

I got out of the house without the maid and guards noticing my presence.

I used my escape door, which was a big hole at the back of our mansion. This is where I always end up whenever I want to be alone and run away from home.

But this time... the escape that I'll make... there is no turning back... to them... not anymore. I tightly held the rusty iron and took a last glance at the mansion before I made my exit.

My tears flowed incessantly as the air was so cold. Running away from them is one of my ways to escape them... but not this time. I will never return to their company.

Absolutely not.

I have received enough pain from him. I don't want to add to the pain I'm feeling right now. The pain that I've been carrying is too heavy to handle. Things a child should not experience.

I slowed down even more until I just walked on the paved road in the middle of darkness.

I lost my nerves because the pain in my chest became unbearable.

I don't even know where my feet will take me. I walked steadily until I realized I had stopped in a park.

I immediately ran to the small house near the swing and hid myself inside it. I was shocked to find a piece of clothing lying on the floor just at the entrance. There was some striped paper, a few pieces of a biscuit, two mineral water bottles, and scattered colored pencils.

I slowly stepped inside and carefully took a step into a corner that made no noise.

I hugged my knees and let myself cry on them.

I knew this was not the time to cry. But because of the pain I was feeling, I chose to just release it without making a noise.

If only I could have the chance to choose my parents. Maybe I will replace dad so that I no longer feel this pain in my chest.

"May tao---"

"Ahhh!" I screamed when I heard the girl's voice on the other side of the door. I hugged my knees even more in fear and trepidation when I saw the figure of an unknown being crawling towards me.

I kept shouting like I saw a ghost just like Sadako from the movie Ring.

"Ghost! Mul----"

"Hoy! No! Hindi ako multo! Loko 'to, oh!" My eyes narrowed at what she had said. I caught my breath as I watched the girl carefully enter the house. She brushed off loose hair and pony-tailed the rest.

I just shook as I looked at her. She wore thick glasses, had braces, and I could smell sardines from her.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Anong ginagawa mo rito?"

I didn't respond.

"Uhm, ako kasi nakapagalitan ni mama kaya tumakbo na lang ako." She replied while collecting her things.

Curious, I asked, "Was there a bath?" Herscent intrigued me.

"Bath? Hindi ako nakaligo ngayong gabi, eh. Ang lamig ng tubig tapos naglayas pa ako sa bahay namin," she replied while still picking her things.

"Don't you have any water?" Seriously? You still have glasses and a brace, so you don't take a bath."

"Bingi ka ba? Nakakaintindi ka naman siguro ng Tagalog, 'di ba? Ang sabi ko kasi malamig ang tubig. Ang dami mong problema sa akin, ah. Bakit ikaw? Naligo ka na ngayong----"

"My point there is that you're still not taking a bath. Can't you clean your body all by yourself?"

"Gusto mong masuntok, ah? Ang dami mong alam, ah. Bakit? Katawan mo 'to? Katawan mo? "Hindi ko pinakealaman 'yang mukha mong dugyutin", I can hear her giggle as she speaks.

As he picked up the papers one by one, I couldn't help but be curious to see some of her drawings and writing. I even saw her drawing of a firefly.

"What the heck?" I asked curiously.

"My drawings... and then my story." Suddenly, her voice became serious, and she was also a bit embarrassed.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Galit kasi sa akin si mama. Ang sabi niya, dapat ko na raw itigil ang ka-fo-drawing dahil wala raw itong patutunguhan. Gusto niya akong maging doctor dahil daw malaki ang s'weldo at sure na may trabaho ako sa future... pero gusto kong isang maging manubulat." I felt the sincerity in her voice. I don't know, but I suddenly felt sorry for her when she told me her reason.

"You can be a writer, can't you? Like an MD and a writer?" I stuttered. I'm not good at advising, but maybe it'll help... at least.

"P'wede... pero iba talaga 'yong sa pagiging manunulat ka nakatuon..."

"Sorry, ha? I'm not adept at giving advice. By the way, have you done a story yet? " She nodded as I changed our topic. The atmosphere around us brings negativity into my system. It's choking... pure negativity surrounds me.

"Okay, lang..." She handed me a collection of papers from her plastic bag. "'Eto pala 'yong k'wentong nagawa ko na. Tingnan mo na lang."

I looked at her drawings of people and her writing. She drew her story in the form of a comic book. I was amazed. I quickly stopped looking at what she did.

"Did you really draw it?"

"Yes..."

"Do you already have a title for this?"

"It's first real title was Light of a Firefly... pero ang baduy, eh... May naisip ka bang iba?" She asked, looking at the papers.

"No, eh. But why a firefly?"

"You know, it's a pleasure to watch them every night. They're the ones who look like lights when the moon isn't there. I also lose my fear every time I see them. But with that, they're also gradually disappearing. "In the passing night..." she said sadly, with tears in her eyes.

"Maybe... if I give it a title... Undying Lights is the one I'll choose." I said out of the blue.

"Why?"

"Because... fireflies never fail to provide me with hope. They are the light bearers. For me, the fireflies will not die, even in the morning. Their light of hope never fails to inspire courage... Their light signifies everything."

"Even if they disappear from this world, we will never forget that they were once the reason that we lived with hope in the midst of darkness." I saw how her mouth formed an 'o' while looking at me. Her eyes were wide open because I could see smoke coming out of her mouth.

"Grabe! Ang lalim... hindi ko man masyadong gets 'yong sinabi mo pero ramdam kong sobrang ganda no'n! Sige, iyon na ang gagawin kong pamagat sa aking k'wento!" She said in excitement.

"'Yon na talaga ang magiging huli kong pamagat. Pangako, sa oras na maging isang tanyag na ako na manunulat, hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ang gabing 'to. Dahil sa gabing walang pag-asa, ikaw ang alitaptap na nahanap ko na siyang naging ilaw ko sa dilim." She gave me a genuine smile that made my cheeks burn red and my heart pound so fast.

"All right! I'll expect that---"

She cut me with her words, "Hi, I'm Sienna Zara Malcom."

"Hi, I'm Lev---"

"Siesie! I know you're here!" I stopped introducing myself when I heard the woman's loud voice echo throughout the park. "Siesie, uuwi na tayo sa gusto mo't hindi!"

"Hala! Nandito na si mama!" She said while she hurriedly picked up the papers and stood up. I was so amazed by her actions that I didn't realize that I'd been staring at her face. "Oy, sasama ka ba sa akin?" She asked.

I came back to reality with what he said.

I just nodded at the same time he pulled me out of the toy house.

We heard the woman screaming in utter anger, which caused us to run quickly.

As a result of the exertion of running, I feel warm from the cold air that touches my skin. Even with the envelope in her hand, he still held my hand firmly.

Her grip was not too tight... and I felt like I was with a safe person to run with.

It was only a few minutes of running before we could no longer see the lady. I looked around and was shocked to see the wide lawn. The moon didn't show much, but it was bright enough for me to observe my surroundings.

I was scared at first, but when she intertwined our hands, threw her envelope anywhere, and we ran again in the grass, I felt relieved.

Things become magical for us.

Fireflies lit up the cold breeze of air... Their glowing lights transformed every moment into a fairytale.....

While walking through the tall grass, the light and the appearance of fireflies made me feel the beauty of the surroundings.

Every pause and run was fun. It brought me joy and I can say it was the most memorable moment of my life.

Those fireflies brought happiness in a short period of time.

I enjoyed every moment that I had. In the dead of night, we laughed... And that was the moment when I felt butterflies in my stomach when she looked into my eyes.

Her hazel eyes remind me of one of the most memorable moments of my childhood.

Because after those fairytale-like moments with her, she returned home with her mother and I was alone again in the dark.

But fate surprised me as I headed back home.

An unexpected event happened that changed my whole life.

Sienna migrated to a city far from us...

... and a van hit me.

And guess what, the driver of the car was my mother.

But events were more serious when I was comatose, got amnesia ... and my mother died that day. Although she tried to avoid me, she still hit me. That's also why she hit a huge tree trunk after that.

The day that I found my happiness also brought severe destruction to my life.

Because at that time ... I lost the firefly that gave me hope. I lost the only light I had...

...my mom...

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪