Luna was a little firefly, but she wasn’t very good at sparkling. All the other fireflies in Glowbug Meadow could blink and shimmer with bright, beautiful light. Luna tried and tried, but her light was…dim. It wasn’t a bad light, just not *showy*. She felt a little sad watching the others dance and light up the night.
“What’s the point of being a firefly if you can’t even sparkle properly?” she sighed to Old Man Tiber, a wise beetle who sat on a mushroom every evening. Old Man Tiber chuckled, his antennae twitching. “Purpose, little Luna, isn’t always about being the brightest. It’s about *why* you shine.”
Luna tilted her head. “Why I shine?” she asked. “But I don’t shine very much!” Old Man Tiber pointed with a leg towards a group of tiny glow-worms struggling to find their way through the tall grass. “See those little ones? They can’t see very well. A little light, even a dim one, can make a big difference to them.”
Luna hesitated. She wasn’t used to thinking about helping others. She was too busy worrying about her own dim sparkle. But she flew towards the glow-worms, and as she hovered near them, her little light illuminated the path ahead. “Oh!” cried a tiny glow-worm. “Thank you! We can see now!”
Another glow-worm chimed in, “Your light is just what we needed!” Luna felt a warm glow inside, much brighter than any sparkle she could have produced. She guided the glow-worms safely through the grass, and then helped a lost bumblebee find its way back to the hive.
As she flew back to Old Man Tiber, Luna noticed something amazing. Her light wasn’t brighter, but it felt…different. It felt *important*. Old Man Tiber smiled. “See, Luna? Your purpose wasn’t to be the brightest firefly, but to use your light to help others. That’s a very special sparkle indeed.”
Luna spent the rest of the evening helping anyone who needed a little light. She guided moths to flowers, helped snails find their way home, and even lit up a little corner for a sleepy spider to weave its web. She realized that being helpful felt much better than being showy.
From that night on, Luna didn’t worry about her dim sparkle anymore. She understood that everyone has a purpose, and sometimes, the smallest light can make the biggest difference. And as she drifted off to sleep, Luna knew that even a little firefly could shine brightly by simply being herself and helping others. Now close your eyes, little one, and remember that *you* have a special sparkle too.