Saturday, June 12, 2010

diamonds in the dark

yesterday evening, weary from the fierce, unpredictable heat of early summer, a persistent cough, and peevish five-year-olds, i slumped into the passenger seat of my car after work, a sweaty, disheveled mess. as night fell, i waited for the kind ladies of my saturday class to whisk me away for our date with fireflies. we drove to a vast park, bright with reflected light from the city sky and walked on a dim path around huge grassy fields cooling in the breeze. it smelled like the summer nights in suburban texas when i used to visit my grandmother.
we reached the appointed place and waited to be led by yellow-clad volunteers (mainly diminutive old gentlemen) down the wooden staircase and into the forest. small groups lined up as they were called (this event required tickets, kindly applied for and shared by one of the class members), and then we were ushered into the darkness. we walked a paved path along a creek lined with tall grasses hushing us in the wind. one at first, and then a few more, we picked out cool sparks flashing in the grass. the gentle flickering of their lights reminded me of a cat purring, relaxed and friendly.
i watched as fifty-year-old women pointed with excited whispers, "there's one! there's one!" we were left behind as we took our time enjoying the silent show. we even cupped a few in our hands until they flew away. at last we entered the forest and were taken to the black silhouette of a small building, a firefly house. inside in complete darkness were thousands of sparks flying and glowing. it was like being inside a campfire when nothing is left but embers: dark shapes revealed by the lights that blanket them.

9 comments:

  1. beautiful! your description, as always, is lush and transportive. thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. <3 thanks! i'm so happy you read this and commented. i thought of you a lot as i was writing it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lauren, I love this post!! I have never heard of such a thing, yet I immediately was struck by what a quintessentially Japanese experience this was.
    Would you mind if I linked to it or would you prefer to keep it more for friends and family? (Not that I'm either...more family of friend, I guess!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. sure jan; i'd be honored. thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 16, 2010

    Lauren, You have to write a book about your experiences!! When I read, Snow Flower & the Secret Fan, I was most impressed by the little "everyday" happenings, that were extra ordinary to me, the reader, who'd never been to China nor anywhere overseas. The way you share your experiences, opens a window to the soul to experience something in a magical way; it's very moving! Auntie Norma

    ReplyDelete
  6. i arrived here from be*mused's blog and i must say that your writing is wonderful - so evocative and transporting - i'll be coming back for more--thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  7. thank you soo much carol! and norma, it's my dream to write a book about my time here.

    ReplyDelete
  8. yes, i agree. this was delightful to read and i wanted more and of course to be there to see the lights.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJune 29, 2010

    I shared your writing about fireflies with Pat's mom, Mary-remember her? She really liked it and when I told her where exactly you were, she said the lady upstairs from them is from Osaka! What a small world. auntie Norma

    ReplyDelete