Lumi spins over the meadow, her glow painting gold circles in the dark. Round and round, up and down, the little firefly draws loops of light. She's the brightest thing for miles.
Then — flicker. Dim. OUT. She pats her shell. Jumps. Shakes. Nothing. The meadow goes quiet. Just her shadow on the grass.
Lumi trudges toward the Singing Willow. Bump — mushroom. Bump — root. Bump — mushroom. Her little legs splash through the dew.
Ahead, the stream roars over smooth stones. Cold mist curls up. The water rushes and hisses and will not stop.
A tiny caterpillar dangles from the far rock. 'I can't reach!' it squeaks. Its little feet grab the stone edge, swinging, swinging.
Lumi wades in, grabs a wide leaf, and heaves it across like a raft. Splash. The caterpillar tumbles ashore. 'You're a glow-in-the-dark!' it hops.
Lumi has no glow. The caterpillar giggles, rolling over its little body. 'Shhh,' Lumi whispers. 'I'll fix that.'
Lumi tugs a Willow branch. 'Please — light me up!' The Willow hums one long, deep note. The leaves ripple. Everything shivers.
Lumi's light POPS back on, blazing gold. She whirls around. The caterpillar is right behind her, dripping, its tiny body glowing with her reflected light.
Lumi bounces down the path, her light spinning in wild loops. The caterpillar rides her back, yawning a long caterpillar yawn. Over the stream, an empty leaf-raft floats by. Lumi glows a little extra bright.