Love at First Light

It isn't an attempt at being a literary masterpiece, but it is a short and cute story that I hope will be simply enjoyable.

Mikaela and I walked around Diamond Point Park, late that July night three years ago. I remember feeling the wind gently pushing against my skin; it was blowing just enough to rustle the leaves and pine needles hanging on the tree branches above us. The green grass was smooth and gentle against my bare feet and I could feel it poke between my toes whenever I stopped moving. The sun seemed like it had to set long ago, but the sky was still glowing with bright stars and pale white moon, floating above us as if they were suspended from the strings that were held by some divine figure above space. The moon and starlight were clearly reflected on the peaceful and gentle lake nearby. The lake water was flowing up upon the beach, crashing onto the sand, and then falling back into the dark blue water. The different minty smells from the pine needles and from the lake blended in with the faint and distant scent of burgers, hot dogs, and meats of all kinds grilling on nearby barbecues.

I smiled to myself and pointed towards the sky, “I used to read about constellations all the time. My favorite one was always Leo the Lion,” I told Mikaela, “It’s those nine stars up there--it looks more like a little mouse than a lion to me.”
            Mikaela stared at the stars, then turned to me with her ocean blue eyes, “I don’t see anything that looks like a lion or a mouse, Ryan,” she said in a serious but jokingly tone that was followed by a little high pitched giggle that would make anyone who heard it laugh along with her. Mikaela’s paper white teeth were showing in the midst of her giggle right before she covered the smile with her small pale hand. She had little dimples in her snow-white face that I could barely see in the thin moonlight that was shining upon us. Her eyes squinted almost completely shut when she smiled, but you could still barely see the same deep blue eyes sparkling through the thin slits of her eyelids.
            “That’s okay!” I replied happily, “I’m surprised that I can still find it, even.”
            “Ryan! Look over there . . !” Mikaela loudly whispered as her face turned curious with a serious excitement. A yellow and dim lime-green light was floating like a little feather that would sway back and forth in the air as if it were to never fall on the ground. Mikaela swiftly tiptoed over to where the light was floating in the still night air. In the midst of tip-toeing, her blonde curls were gently bouncing on top of her head, like the waves of the sea moving up and down on top of the water. Mikaela reached out to catch the light in her hand, not too fast, but slowly, so that she wouldn’t scare the light away.

            The light suddenly disappeared and Mikaela’s eyes lit up with a joyful smile.
“Look Ryan,” Mikaela quietly said as she opened up her hand a touch; the light was barely being exposed through the small crack in her hand. “I caught a firefly . . .” Mikaela’s smile was still showing the same bright curiosity and excitement.
            Then, I saw another dim greenish-yellow light appear. It was sitting on the side of a Red Pine; dim and still as one of the small stars above us. “Hold on one second,” I whispered, as if I was sneaking up to scare someone. I sneaked over to the firefly on the tree and quickly cupped my hands over the fly on the tree.
            Once again, the light completely disappeared.

            I was able to scoop up the firefly that was cupped in my hand and I brought it over to Mikaela. “His name is going to be Rick!” I told her in a very profound voice.
Mikaela smiled at me shyly; “Well mine’s going to be named . . .” she seemed to ponder this for a second, “Mary!” She said, mimicking my profound tone. “Also,” she added, “Mary is secretly in love with Rick, but Rick is, unfortunately for Mary, gay. Rick is in love with a different firefly named Kevin and his family has abandoned him because of this,” she explained to me.
            “How do you know if Rick is gay?” I asked her.
            “Because, Mary told me the second I caught her!” she exclaimed. We both laughed at the silliness of our story and we continued to elaborate on the story, describing these two fireflies’ social/romantic lives. But then, in that same moment, another light turned on, up in the tree just behind Mikaela; then another light turned on to the side of us (that particular firefly distracted us from our story of the fireflies). And more flies lit up all around us. Eventually, there were fireflies shining all around us. It was like we were in a fairy tale world where we lived in our own private castle and we could see magical candles floating in the air all around us.
            “I’ve never seen so many before. It’s so . . . beautiful,” Mikaela whispered, hypnotized by the faint lights. I instantly wanted to tell her a cheesy line, but I held it off.
            There were so many little lights floating around us. We were completely mesmerized by this incredible scene that was created for us. This time was spent in absolute awe and silence and to this day it is the most peaceful experience of my life. It was the moment that I believe heaven will be like, where beauty is conquering all of your senses and every one of those senses is being flooded by waves of peace, awe, and love. I felt like the world had stopped spinning and there was nobody else there except for the fireflies, Mikaela, and I left.
            The fireflies started to turn into little stars, as if we were in space. Then I noticed that the flies made my favorite constellation, Leo the Lion, in the midst of their floating; I only wish I could touch and move those “stars”, rearranging them to make my very own constellation, just for Mikaela.
            But the moment was quickly gone when my friend Harry quickly grabbed me from behind. I let out a short “Woah!” and turned around in surprise.
            “Dude! C’mon man, we have to go and eat cake!” Harry told us.
            My mind suddenly realized that I was at my friend Anna’s Sweet 16.
            “Oh, okay dude,” I told him, “I’ll be there in a little bit.”
            “No man, I need to talk to you about something, right now!” He urged, “C’mon!”
            “Well . . . Alright . . .” I told him, “Are you coming, Mikaela?” I asked, hoping she would say yes.
            “Ummm, I’ll be over there in a little bit; it’s so beautiful over here, at the moment, and besides, I’m not too hungry any-”
            “Yeah,” Harry said as he interrupted Mikaela, “Okay dude, c’mon, the cake is over here.”
            I walked off with Harry as he started telling me something. Honestly, I wasn’t listening to what he was saying; I was just trying to get one last look at Mikaela in the light of the fireflies. And I noticed that she too, was doing the same with me.

Reviews

[NA]

Not too bad at all. I was expecting it to feel alot more like a cliche than it did. It felt like a film, which works.

I didn't notice any mistakes.