Illuminated Summer
Kaci Murley

Kaci Murley is a freshman business major. She wrote this paper for Dr. Grice’s Honors World Lit II class.

The sounds of an innocent summer echo in my ear: screams of joy when that long-awaited time finally arrives: when school is out and summer begins. My only responsibility – the sole purpose for my eight year-old existence – is to take full advantage of everything this beloved season has to offer. Our entire neighborhood is swarming with other children who, like me, are ready for days spent hiding-and-seeking, filled with water fights and kickball tournaments. Oh, we are ready. Summertime versus kids on the block: let the games begin.

***

Smile, tiger lily,
Sultry sun on your orange cheeks.
Go get ‘em tiger.

The blazing sun begins to fade, drawing our attention to the timer above our heads. We struggle to stretch the few minutes we have left before the streetlights turn on, and time will run out. My sister pleads with me, “Come on! Let’s go!” Heaven forbid we stay out past curfew; we dare not test authority. In the race home between us and the streetlights, we will prevail! Come home late and be grounded and risk having a day of our precious summer ripped from us? The mere thought brings chills to my bones, and my little feet run faster. Faster and faster we run until finally, we collapse onto our front yard, directly at the feet of our mother, waiting. She smiles with satisfaction as she watches the lights begin to flicker on. Her girls made it home, just in time.

Nighttime falls, streets crawl,
Are you afraid of the dark?
Oh! What a dark world.

***

More than the carefree afternoons, the staying up past ten o’clock at night, the no-homework-sleep-in-late perks of summertime, the event I looked forward to most was what happened not long after the streetlights came on.

***

My sister and I anxiously watch, waiting for the first flicker of light to appear, to let us know they have arrived. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. “Look! Over there! Oh! And there!” My pulse begins to rise as excitement builds up. I look around and see all the tiny stars floating around us: lightning bugs. I live for this moment, when my entire world consists of only me and all my glowing friends.  We grab in all directions, for any we can get our hands on. Any, as though we will never again see another bug. One by one, kids from the neighborhood come out to join us in our nightly routine. We run through the streets, all in an attempt to capture the most. One boy rips off a flickering tail and sticks it on his forehead. He runs around screaming, “Look at me! My face is glowing!” I watch his display just as one bug lands on my hand. His tail flickers. He flashes his rear end to attract a mate? I stare at the bug, now without tail and without love.

Lanterns of love,
Tails set afire,
Lovers blinking night affair.

We keep our lightning bugs in mason jars with holes punched through the lid so they can breathe. I put in some leaves and blades of grass to make them feel more at home.  They creep along the sides, their yellow stars dimming to green in protest of our care. I hold my precious creatures in my hands and I realize what I must do. I set the jar down, unscrew the lid and watch as the bugs rise like champagne bubbles in a glass, filling the air with soft light and surprise.

Each summer night, as the sun began to fade, just as, inevitably, the streetlights would shine, we could always count on our friends, the nighttime dancers, to come out for a game of chase. Each night, we would greet them with a smile, and sadly say goodbye, but only until next time… Ten summers have passed since, and I still think of the disappointment I had when my desire to secure those lightning bugs was disheartened by reality: they had to be set free. 

Why then? Why did we want them if they could not give the same delight when captured as when free? Was I charmed by their electric beauty? Looking back, I am able to see that what made them beautiful was their freedom. In my attempt to capture their wonderment to keep all for myself, I was taking away the very element that gives them their unique enchantment.

Shining so brightly!
I dare not keep your light.
Radiate on me!

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