LUCERO AND THE FIREFLY

Lucero was a very cheerful and playful girl, one day she went out to look for firewood with
her father in the forest near her house, at first her father had her hand but as soon as she
reached a fallen and dry tree she released her girl's hand and told her to stay there while
he and his axe were in charge of cutting that tree into pieces. Lucero obeyed, at least for a
few moments, but as every curious and restless girl fixed her small light brown eyes on an
insect that walked on the ground, her father noticed the fact and approached to see and
make sure that there was no danger, the father took the insect in his hand and gave his
daughter telling her that it was harmless, Lucero asked what it was and if it could be eaten,
the father laughed, and told him that it was not edible, because it tasted bitter.

Lucero: And how do you know it tastes bitter, Dad?

Father: ah well, this one... well because ... it's an insect and ... good is that I've been told.

Lucero: and what is his name?

Father: is a firefly, a bioluminescent insect.

Lucero: How is that biolumi... bioluminescent?

Father: bioluminescent, an insect that can generate its own light. But what will he do for
this area and at this time?

Lucero: it looks pretty, can I keep it?

Father: yes, I guess so. After the talk and finished the work of the father, they set off for
their home, the father carried the longest and heaviest logs while Lucero, carried the
lightest and shortest, and in his left pocket kept the firefly. Already at dinner, the mother
asked the workers how they did, both father and daughter nodded that they did very well,
and also asked her daughter if she was going to leave her firefly tonight to continue looking
for her way home. Father and daughter looked at each other surprised by what they had
heard, both made gestures wondering how it was that he had noticed, if both had not said
anything, or who had betrayed whom, and the mother only stared at them both, and told
them that there was nothing to hide and that this time she forgave them for not having
informed her before and pointed out that Lucero had to leave her insect.

Lucero for a few moments was meditabundant the surprise that his mother noticed his
bioluminescent insect did not last long, what most caught his attention was the fact that
how his mother knew that insect was looking for his way. He was not asked, only stating
that he would leave his firefly as soon as he finished praying that same night The family
finished dinner and left for their respective enclosures, the parents said goodnight to their
little girl reminding her that she had to thank God first of all. Already in the parents' room,
Mr. Oliver, who was the name of Lucero's father, and Lucero's wife and mother, Mariam,
were talking about what had happened at the table.
Oliver: How did you realize that we had hidden the firefly from you and as you knew it was
a firefly?

Mariam: I know my family very well, I know very well when they tell the truth or when they
are hiding something from me, ah my love you know that I have a very good ear, I could
hear the firefly, you know that they have a special sound. Oliver: If I had forgotten,
exaggerating I could say that you can hear a pin falling on the ground, and about the firefly
having to go home, why did you invent that? Mariam stopped combing her hair and stared
at the mirror that projected the image of her husband, she looked directly at her beloved's
eyes reflected in the mirror, he also stared at her

– What is it that has you worried? – she told her, he insisted saying the same words that
she had said a moment ago, that he also knows his family very well and knows when they
are hiding something from him, so she replied.

Mariam: (with a somewhat sad voice) every time you go out, every time you go to do your
work, every time you retire or leave your home leaving them both alone, I fear that
something bad will happen to you, as the hours pass the anguish increases, (a few tears
appear and your hands begin to tremble) excuse me, but that is what worries me.

Oliver: (with a soft and delicate voice he puts his hands on his shoulders) and brings his
cheeks on his left shoulder) I will always be close to you and for nothing in the world I will
leave or abandon you, God is my witness and I ask Him, and I always ask Him to take care
of you, I could not live without you.

Mariam: (she turns her gaze and hugs him tightly) I couldn't live without you either, I love
you too much, you are everything to me.

Thus ended that conversation between mother and father, while in his daughter's room, de
Lucero asked God on his knees to take care of his parents, and that his firefly find its way.
Lucero was where his window came open from where he left his firefly so he could fly and
retire home The firefly stayed there, it seems not to want to retire, but sleep and fatigue
led Lucifer to the arms of Morpheus, that is, to sleep, and he retired to his bed to sleep at
last, while the firefly remained still on the window in the direction of star. This is how the
day ends for all the protagonists. The next day around eight o'clock in the morning, Lucero
woke up and the first thing he did was go to the bathroom, before he wet the bed, and then
immediately went to his window and saw that a crow was in it, he did it with a couple of
chu chu and the bird retired and realized that his firefly was not there. He wondered if he
had retreated overnight or if the crow had eaten him. She ran to call her parents but only
her mother answered, she immediately and gently called her attention to the scandal at
such an early hour, the girl apologized and asked if crows eat insects, her mother knew then
what her concern was and the reason for the scandal, then she wisely replied that fireflies
use their bioluminescence to scare away their predators and that it was safest that the
firefly would have left at night and that crows do not hunt at night or devour fireflies. Lucero
was calmer and asked about her father, Mrs. Mariam told her that she had gone out very
early to hunt to return early to repair the water well. Lucero was a little embarrassed
because she wanted to accompany her father but her mother reminded her that both had
to do many things and hurry up, before Mr. Oliver arrived. The hours passed, it was already
close to noon, it is assumed that Mr. Oliver must have been at home, Mariam began to
worry, her daughter did not stop asking about her father. That crow appeared again but on
the axe with which Mr. Oliver used to cut wood, Lucero again began to scare away the black
bird, his mother saw what he was doing and had a bad feeling, then I did not wait any longer,
for a moment he thought of leaving his girl in the house while she went out to look for her
husband, However, he did not, Lucero even though he chased away the crow he did not
leave, Mariam ordered her little girl to leave the crow alone and write a note to her father
telling him that they went in search of him, while her mother loaded the shotgun. As soon
as he finished writing the note Lucero went to his mother, she was waiting for her outside
the house with shotgun in hand and both went to the forest in search of Mr. Oliver, both
screamed for him, in the forest you could hear the sound of two anguished women
screaming"Oliver where you are, and Daddy where you are," but you could hear nothing
but the sound of the wind blowing over the trees, the sound of birds and the river, the river!
She thought, it was where the river, maybe there was or found some clue of him – hopefully
not – she said to herself, hopefully she will not find anything and return home imagining
that he is waiting for them, but near the riverbed, Mariam found nothing, she was walking
long, near the shore, with her daughter on mom, Lucero saw something on the ground in
the opposite direction, He turned his gaze and saw that firefly.

Lucero: Mom, it's the firefly, it's on the other side, maybe she knows where Dad is.

Mariam: please Lucero, pay more attention to what we do, that we are looking for your
father.

Lucero: But... that crow back, it seems that it follows us.

Mariam: What thing?

Lucifer: the crow is in that tree, turn and look.

Mariam began to worry more, the repeated presence of the crow worried her, she turned
and noticed something strange on the ground, it seemed all removed, it was where that
place and realized that the removed leaves came from above, she knelt looking for some
more clue, while Lucero looked for her firefly she found some leaves with blood stains,
Immediately notice her mother, she ran and even more began to despair, she tried to
remain calm so as not to scare her little girl, although deep down there was already
tremendous restlessness. It was already very late, the sky began to present at night and the
night began to present darkness, Mariam thought of returning home, she knew of the
dangers that could lurk in the forest, if she was alone maybe she would stay all night looking
for her husband but she was and that for now it was to protect and not risk the safety of
her only daughter, Lucero seemed to guess his mother's intentions and fixed his gaze on
his mother's eyes, with those innocent and tender eyes wanting to cry and said

– Ubi is, dominate?- that's what dad said when he needed help, but he means that mom,
what does Ubi mean , dominate?.

Mariam: Where are you, my lord, that means daughter, where are you, my lord?

Lucero: then I tell you the same thing, Ubi is, dad? , and I know that he is also telling us the
same thing in any part of this forest, let's keep looking for please mom, if you want I stay
here waiting for you so as not to hinder you but continue looking for dad.

Mariam: That never, You will not leave me, and we will find your dad together, we will not
leave him a second time. So mother and daughter agreed to continue looking for their loved
one, Mariam remembered the words of her husband when she needed help from God, he
always repeated in his prayers Ubi is, domine?, with this phrase in his head but most of all
in his desperate heart, he snatched some strips of his dress to make a torch, a light in that
darkness and darkness, with her heart in her hands and with the conviction of finding her
husband continued downstream, Mariam had a vague idea of what had happened, if the
leaves were removed from above is that Oliver had slipped from there, if the leaves were
with blood it was because perhaps he was wounded, the wound should not be deep since
there is not much blood left, but the trail ended in the river, so the question is why?, Why
did Oliver not stop and return, why did he continue with the currents of the river?, Why?!.
There were many questions or hypotheses. But what had happened to Mr. Oliver, and
where he was. If indeed the fluttered leaves and the blood on those leaves were his. The
truth is that if he was, and he was also very badly injured and something far downstream,
from where Lucero and Mariam were, he needed help as soon as possible. Mr. Oliver while
hunting some hares was attacked by a pack of wolves who surprised him from behind, they
had bitten his arms and legs, and his shotgun did not help him much because he had locked,
he only used it to hit the beasts but even so they did not leave him alone until he had to run
to the river but one of the largest and fiercest wolves reached him biting his heel and Mr.
Oliver fell abruptly downhill towards the river, wounded in hands and legs was dragged by
the current and was able to hold on to a log before he drowned, but the worst thing was
that the pack followed him downstream, it seemed that they did not want to leave him until
he saw it finished, Mr. Oliver in his almost unconsciousness thanked the trunk in the river,
He was so lucky, but the injuries caused made it difficult to continue holding even more
when the flow increased and the current of the river intensified, to vary so long in the water
Mr. Oliver could die of hypothermia, which is when the body begins to lose heat due to the
cold and the heart stops beating. The symptoms of the first phase were already beginning
to be felt (contracted muscles, intense cold, dilated pupils, etc.). That situation was a
struggle of the wounded or damaged man against the beasts and nature, the only hope
would come from the persistence and faith of two women, Lucifer and his mother Mariam,
both followed the course of the river, nor the night and its gloom made both women stop
persisting. Mr. Oliver was beginning to be very sleepy and just at the moment of closing his
eyes given the fatigue and hypothermia, but he began to open his eyes and pray to the lord,
begging him to give him more strength to be able to resist longer – Ubi is, dominate?, do
not abandon me please, my family needs me, do it for them and not for me, , Ubi is,
dominate?, in your hands my strength, in your will my hope and in your grace my love, my
love ... - but those eyes of the same color that your daughter had begun to close again, and
in those moments the wolves began to be restless some fireflies appeared, the most wolfish
of them made a faint grunt and barking, which were so weak as to be heard by Mariam,
who walked with her daughter very exhausted and desperate, and without anyone warning
them that they were heading directly to the danger of the ferocious wolves and but they
were also walking directly to the salvation of Mr. Oliver. One of the fireflies stood in Mr.
Oliver's hands, and a voice was heard inside

– Ubi is, Oliver ?, they are waiting for you, get up Oliver, get up and save them-, it was light
or the sign of hope he needed and once again he opened his eyes and with the strength of
a wounded lion roared saying

– thank you my lord – and he began to get up trying to get out of the river with his whole
body lacerated by wounds and trembling from hypothermia, it was his last strength for the
salvation of him and his loved ones, he had to fight for them and thus realize that he was
not alone, even with the firefly in his hand, He raised that same arm with all his professed
strength.

– Go and tell them little friend that I'm waiting for them, go, go, fly high my little friend, as
high as you can, fly my friend ...

– and like an enraged and wounded lion began to repel the beasts.

From not far from there Lucero looked up and saw a firefly, immediately told his mother
but she did not see it because of the leafiness of the trees that prevented her from seeing
the firefly, but what she could not see if she could hear, and it was the squawk of the crow
in the direction of where the firefly was and where it was being given to lid, of Mr. Oliver
and the wild beasts, the crow had given them that last signal, Lucifer was tremendously
excited and hurried to her mother, she thought that the crow was attacking her husband,
but it was the opposite the crow began to roll around the wolves, and they began to bark
louder so much that they were finally heard by Mariam, who stopped the passage for a few
seconds.

Lucero: Mommy What's going on, why do we stop?

Mariam: they are wolfs daughter, they must be close to where your father is.

Lucero: then shoot upwards, to scare them.

Mariam: yes, that's it, I'm going to shoot up, cover your ears daughter. Then we will keep
running to save Dad.

He gave two shots upwards that scared the wolves but they were not enough for one of
them was perhaps the largest and the most aggressive, the same one that made Mr. Oliver
fall biting his heel, the crow that witnessed everything began to squawk louder as if wanting
to warn the women to accelerate the pace, Mr. Oliver was about to faint because he had
already exceeded his limits of strength, so he fell to his knees and just when the great wolf
rushed him, the crow flew directly to him and with its great beak hit one of his eyes, the
beast howled in pain and with its powerful claws hurt and threw the crow to the ground,
But he still had one eye left and with it he could see his prey on his knees, and then a shot
in his tail finally made him desist from his struggle and cruelty and ran with his tail between
his hind legs, moving as far away as he could until he was lost among the trees and the
night. Immediately afterwards Mariam and Lucero attended to their beloved, made a
bonfire to warm him and gave him first aid, he still had a pulse and his heart was still beating
strongly. There the three or five stayed, until the next day when they took Mr. Oliver home
and after a few days already recovered from that moment the first thing they did was pray
together thanking them for having helped them and for those creatures he sent to help Mr.
Oliver. But where those creatures were, the firefly and the crow, nothing was known about
those creatures since that day, Lucero always looked carefully towards the ground or up
but did not find her little friend, she even left her window open in case one day she
appeared but nothing, Mrs. Mariam always left some corn on the roof for the crow, seeing
that he did not take them always changes it for new ones the next day, until one day at
dinner some fireflies appeared out of nowhere fluttered on the table and left, Lucero
dismissed them jubilantly, the next day when Mrs. Mariam wanted to change the corn on
the roof, they were no longer there, then the family understood that their little friends
would always be close to them even more when the danger appeared, likewise God acts,
you can not see him and even if you are in danger and you can not see him he will always
be there and if you do not give your part you will never be able to help yourself, nor will
you be able to reach beyond the limits of your own strength, Hopes and love.