ON NIGHTS when the moon is only a sliver of silver, aninipot or fireflies can be seen even from afar.
The light on their bellies look awe-inspiring. You cannot help but draw near to this source of flickering allure.
Fireflies belong to the beetle family but unlike their other cousins, these bugs are SLCs or self-light carriers. They produce cold light on their abdomens. This light does no harm on the environment because the light has no ultraviolet or infrared element.
Not only is this light beautiful, it also embraces the concept of beauty and utility. Fireflies dart in and out of marshes or bamboo groves using this attractant in search of a mate or dinner.
I remember fireflies because of what my friend Rosse G. told me recently. She and Belle, her 12-year-old niece, spent the school break with relatives who have a house in a mountain barangay in Leyte.
One evening, her cousin Dernie invited them to explore the night in the field surrounding the family house. They brought flashlights to light their steps.
“The field is owned by the family. It is planted to corn and coconut trees, and is bordered by lush bamboo groves,” Rosse said. She then shared the conversation she had with Belle.
“Auntie, do fireflies see us?” Belle asked.
“I think they do. We’re big. We have lights bigger than their combined force.”
“We see them, don’t we?”
“Yes, Belle, we see them no matter how tiny their lights. Or even if there were only two lights, we’d still see them because the night is ink dark.”
“If we ram into the bamboo grove, would they think it’s because we are blind?”
“No, we see them because of their tiny lights. And why would we do that?”
“Because we just want to mess up the bamboo grove where the bugs fish for their dinner. Or maybe a mate,” Belle replied.
“You and I will not do that. We’re not a warring people. Although the bamboo grove is in Dernie’s field, it really belongs to the fireflies. It’s their territory.”
“But what if no one listens when the fireflies cry ownership?”
“Well, we assuage their feelings with gifts, semantics and jargon,” Rosse said.
“What if this time, a giant and his huge horde appear and insist the bamboo grove is theirs?”
“Maybe the fireflies will make a bigger protest.”
“But what if we’re all so afraid, we call that man a friend, what will happen to the fireflies?”
“I think they will finally suffer in silence when even you and I can’t protect them.”