A Starry Night
I've seen them; they flew in flocks. At first, I thought they were a bunch of fireflies migrating somewhere, and I knew nothing about fireflies. My eyes were wide open, mesmerized by the sight. Then, their lights went out one by one. I didnāt think much about it until I felt something in my head. When I grabbed it, it crumbled into ashes, leaving my hand with a smooth and smoky texture.
I looked behind me and was surprised to see a surge of thick, black smoke coming from the distance. The smell of the smoke caught on to me, it was familiar, it was ashy and smelled of wood. It was that tree... Everyone in the neighborhood knows about this treeāhow could they not? It is a very tall and large oak tree. The tree had lived for thousands of years and was protected by the government. It, of course, became a tourist attraction, but visitors were only allowed to observe it from a significant distance. Iāve seen it a few times since Iām a local, but I always visit in the afternoon.
One Sunday morning, I decided to go there during my run. My usual route starts at my house, goes through the park, past the school, into the market, and backāit all adds up to about an hour of running. I went very early, and nobody was there except for one person standing on top of a firewatch tower. I donāt know why, but it unsettled me. The stillness of the morning combined with the motionless figure played tricks on my mind.
I walked for a while until the tree came into view. It wasnāt hard to spotāit stood within a wide circular gap enclosed by an iron fence. I wasnāt sure if it was just that I hadnāt been there in a while, but the tree seemed significantly larger than before. I marveled at its strange and oddly shaped trunk with bark that looked almost fur-like. You know the type of barkāit was unruly and rugged.
It was weird and oddly captivating to look at. It almost seemed like the bark was breathing, alive. As the morning sun illuminated the tree, I saw it move. It was alive! Drawn by its strange allure like a moth to a flame, I went closer. When I reached the fence, I grasped it with both hands with excitement. And then, there were colors! It wasnāt the treeās bark at allāthey were butterflies! They dispersed quickly when I realized the truth.
On the night of the fire, when my hand was left with that smoky texture, I looked up at the sky. The tree was burning, and the fireflies were on fire. I lost my balance and, thankfully, fell onto a bed of grass. They were so beautiful, so tragic. One by one, their lights went out. And every time one faded, a star appeared in the sky. Before long, the sky had transformed into a brilliant starry night. I wept and must have fallen asleep there because someone woke me up. My eyes were swollen, and it all felt like a dream. I stood up and thanked the kind stranger for waking me. Then, I sat on a park bench and muttered to myself about what had just happened. Thatās when a bright blue butterfly landed on my knee. I stared at it for a long time before slowly reaching out with my finger, but just as I did, it flew away.