Glimmer the Glowworm's Nighttime Adventure

Glimmer the glowworm inched along a long, green leaf. The leaf was as wide as a road to him. Above, the sky was a deep, soft blanket of blue. He paused for a moment, his own tiny light glowing a gentle green. He was watching the stars begin to appear, one by one. Each one a tiny, perfect pinprick of light. He remembered the story of Twinkle, the little star who learned to shine so brightly. Glimmer felt his own light seemed so very small. He looked up at the great big moon, a silver coin in the sky.

He wished he could be that bright. He decided then and there to go on an adventure. He would find the brightest light in the garden. He would ask it how to shine like that. He began his journey down the long stem of the plant. It was like sliding down a grand, green bannister. At the bottom, curled in the heart of a rose, he found a ladybug fast asleep. Her red shell was dotted with black, like tiny seeds. Glimmer glowed his light very gently, so as not to startle her.

"Excuse me," he whispered. The ladybug stirred, tucking her head out. "Oh. Hello, little one." "I'm looking for the brightest light," Glimmer said. "Do you know where it is?" The ladybug blinked her sleepy eyes. "The moon is very bright," she murmured. "But it is very, very far away." Then she tucked her head back in and went back to sleep. Glimmer felt a little sad. The moon was too far. But he kept going. He crawled across a stone path, cool and smooth beneath him.

A beautiful moth landed nearby. Its wings were like soft grey velvet. It was dancing in the air, circling a bright, warm light on the porch. "That light is so bright!" Glimmer called to the moth. The moth fluttered down. "It is," it hummed. "It is warm and wonderful. But you must be careful. It is not a light for glowworms or moths to live in." Glimmer understood. That light was not for him. He felt his own little glow dim just a bit. He had traveled so far.

And he was still just a tiny, small light. He found a soft patch of moss and curled up. He was ready to give up. He let his own light shine, a quiet little beacon in the dark. And then, something magical happened. Just across the moss, another little green light answered his. It blinked softly. Then another appeared beside it. And another. And another. He hadn't found one big light. He had found hundreds of little ones. Just like him. They were other glowworms.

Their lights dotted the moss like a carpet of fallen stars. They weren't trying to be the moon. They weren't trying to be a porch light. They were just being themselves, together. One of the glowworms blinked a friendly hello. Glimmer blinked his own light back. He wasn't alone anymore. His light wasn't too small. It was just right. It was his. And when he added it to all the others, it was part of something beautiful. Curled up on the soft moss, surrounded by his new friends, Glimmer felt a deep, cozy peace.

His little light pulsed gently, in time with all the others. And he drifted off to sleep.