My Deer Firefly

I am a lonely firefly. Soaring and lighting my way through the night. I come to find myself on the trail, no actually I believe it to be the tail. The tail of a deer prancing through the wheat, against the cool evening breeze. His tail looked rather soft, almost like a flower bed. I made my way around, but the strangest thing occurred. He in fact then happened to slow down. He started walking beside me. Which was odd and means he looked right through me. 

What was I to do but speed myself away? I flew high and with much ease. Over the head of the deer as he started to prance. I didn’t know what to do. So I kept going higher and higher, until it got too cold, my light was even starting to fade. But I had to get away - no doubt, it was that deer! He was acting so strange and getting in my way! He looked right at me, I saw his cold and rather unsettling eyes. They blinked, they froze, they stared. I made the right choice to get myself away. As I realized I had gone a little too high, I found myself falling, falling back down towards the deer. My wings were too weak, I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t escape. But before I fell to my demise, the deer took a plain of wheat out of the ground and caught me with the comfortably soft bed. He lowered me to the floor, and used his antlers to stand me back up. 

“Are you alright,” he asked. 

“I’m fine. Thank you,” I replied. 

My wings started to lift me off the ground, and I made my way up towards the eyes of my savior. Strange, strange indeed because those eyes didn’t look the same way. They were blue. Not cold, almost… like crystal. They fluttered, not snapped. I felt at ease in a way. He felt more comfortable to ask.

“Why did you run before?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know what was going through my mind,” I said. 

“I was going to bring you home,” he replied. “Home? I don’t have one, never have, never will.”

“They shine like you. Every night I travel to find them in the same place! It’s rather magical and I’ve seen every bit of it!”

What was I to do? What was I to say? Question his intentions? This deer saved my life. Why save me then lead me to my death? For a predator to save and then later kill his prey is rather unconventional. But this seems to be an unconventional deer. What was he doing in the night other than staring at those he claims shine like me. Does he not have anyone else to bother? 

“Deer, why are you out here all alone?”

“Firefly, why are you out here all alone?” His question took me by surprise. I suppose I never really took the time to contemplate my own existence. Perhaps, I spent too much time pondering the intentions of those around me. But what does he know? 

“Because I’ve got no one else,” I said with a huff. 

“Firefly, what if maybe, just maybe, that is why we found each other? Trust me. I will not hurt you. I will bring you to the ones who shine like you. They will be there. I promise,” he said as his head lowered. His nose gently grazed the tall wheat grains that swayed below him. 

“Alright, take me to them,” I said with no more hesitation, even though I doubted their rather ambiguous existence.

Sure enough, the deer brought me through the endless fields and plains. I looked as the stars lit up our way. But looking a little more intently, I realized those weren’t stars. They were moving, right before our eyes! What is this? I don’t trust my senses! I shined my light brighter to make this nightmare go away! But by God they began to shine brighter than I! I had had enough! I flew right up towards their eyes. To make the clouds which stole my reflection dissipate! They couldn’t be real, not one more than I! But sure enough, they had all stopped and made sure I had not gone too high. The deer waited below with a smile. 

“Why did you stop me,” I asked.

“The deer, he said you’ll lose your light if you go up into the sky.” The firefly, she looked at me and smiled. 

“Who are you,” I asked.

“Home.”