Leo pushed the oak branch aside. His breath caught. A tiny wooden door hung on the tree trunk.
Golden light spilled from the crack. Moss crunches under his bare feet as he stepped through.
The forest glowed blue-green. A tiny yellow dot zipped past his ear and dropped into the grass.
It blinked once, twice, then lay still. 'Are you okay?' Leo whispered, crouching down.
Leo built a tower of smooth stones to guide the firefly. It crawled sideways off the pile.
He turned on his flashlight and waved it slowly. The firefly didn't follow. He hummed a tune and tapped his finger — it turned its head away.
Between two tall ferns, a narrow trail of glowing blue mushrooms appeared, winding deeper into the dark trees.
Leo crouched low and held the firefly gently in both hands. It shivered, then pulsed — bright yellow, warm and steady.
Leo's eyes went wide. He stood up and followed the mushroom trail, one step at a time.
The path opened into a circle of silver birch trees. Their trunks were painted with hundreds of flickering lights.
A chorus of fireflies surrounded Leo, circling and blinking in every direction.
The little firefly leaped from his palms and shot up into the ring of light.
Leo stood in the glowing circle, smiling. Golden specks drifted down around him like rain.
He reached up to catch one. It flickered against his palm, then faded to a tiny dot.
The silver trees grew darker behind him. Leo walked back toward the oak tree.
He pushed the branch aside and stepped into his backyard. The door closed behind him.
