Flicker[/@ch_1]—shines with a dazzling, almost blinding white-gold light. The others shield their eyes, casting uneasy glances and whispering as he drifts alone near a cattail.]
Glimmer, a small lightning bug with a soft, warm glow, flutters close to her friends, peeking at Flicker with a mix of pity and discomfort.
"Why does he have to be so bright? I can barely see when he’s near,"
Spark, another bug, snickers.
"Maybe he thinks the world needs a second sun,"
Flicker drifts lower, his glow dimming as he tries to hide it beneath a leaf, wishing only to fit in.
Inside the palace, Queen Luminara, regal and usually radiant, lies weak and pale on a silk-thread bed. Her attendants flutter anxiously, their lights flickering with worry.
Envoy Gleam, a dignified lightning bug, bows urgently before the queen.
"Your Majesty, the healer lives beyond the old oak, but it’s too dark. No one has light bright enough to guide you there,"
"Find Flicker. Only he can pierce this darkness,"
As the envoy turns to search for Flicker, a sudden surge of water sweeps through the colony, scattering lightning bugs and tearing apart their homes.
Flicker[/@ch_1] far from his home. He clings desperately to a drifting twig, his light piercing the storm’s gloom. Around him, debris and frightened insects swirl in the muddy current.]
Eventually, the water slows as Flicker crashes against a high, muddy mound rising above the flood. The mound crawls with gleaming red fire ants, their pincers snapping hungrily as they catch sight of the exhausted bug.
Flicker gathers his last reserves of strength.
"I can’t stop now. My colony needs me,"
He darts upward, scrambling over slippery earth as the ants pursue, their mandibles clacking. At the summit, his wings—finally dry—flutter desperately, lifting him into the rain-soaked sky just as the ants lunge and miss by a hair.
Flicker[/@ch_1] soars above the destruction, his heart sinking as he realizes how few have survived.]
He searches for familiar faces, calling their names, but finds only silence and scattered survivors. Just as he is about to give up, Envoy Gleam spots his brilliant light from afar and rushes to greet him.
"Flicker! The queen needs your help—please, she’s very ill and only you can lead her to the healer,"
Flicker hesitates, haunted by the memory of being shunned, but the desperation in Envoy Gleam's voice convinces him.
Flicker[/@ch_1] leads a procession of worried bugs carrying the queen on a delicate leaf litter. His taillight blazes like a beacon, illuminating every stone, root, and puddle on the treacherous path.]
Queen Luminara, frail but hopeful, watches the world brighten around her as Flicker's light cuts through the darkness.
"Thank you, Flicker. Your light is truly a gift,"
The healer’s hollow glows ahead, and soon Queen Luminara is in safe hands. The colony breathes a collective sigh of relief as news spreads that the queen will recover.
Flicker[/@ch_1] joins them, his brilliant tail shining like a rallying flag through the undergrowth and along the stream banks.]
One by one, survivors emerge—Glimmer, Spark, and others—clinging to battered leaves and twigs. Tears and laughter mingle as friends embrace and stories of survival are shared.
"Flicker, we never realized how much we needed your light. I’m so sorry for how we treated you,"
"We’re all brighter together,"
With their homes rebuilt, the queen decrees that both colonies unite, and Flicker becomes a celebrated hero. No longer alone, he dances among his friends—his light shining proud and welcome, a beacon of hope for all.
