Part 18 (1/2)

”Oh,” she cried, ”look! A star has fallen! It's straying about and can't find its way back to its place in the sky”

”That's a firefly,” said the flower-sprite, without a smile

Now, in the midst of her amazement, Maya realized for the first tihed at her ignorance; on the contrary, he helped her when she rong

”They are odd little creatures,” the sprite continued ”They carry their own light about with thehts and enliven the dark under the shrubbery where the h So firefly can keep tryst with firefly even in the dark Later, e cos, you will make the acquaintance of one of them”

”Why?” asked Maya

”You'll soon see”

By this tiroith jasround From close by, within the arbor, ca

The flower-sprite beckoned to a firefly

”Would you be good enough,” he asked, ”to give us a little light? We have to push through these dark leaves here; ant to get to the inside of the jashter than mine”

”I think so, too,” put in Maya,else

”I must wrap myself up in a leaf,” explained the sprite, ”else the huhtened We sprites appear to hus only in their dreams”

”I see,” said the firefly ”I areat beast with you hurt me?”

The sprite shook his head no, and the firefly believed him

The sprite now took a leaf and wrapped hiarments was corass and put it on his shi+ning head like a helmet The only bit of him left exposed was his face, which was so small that surely no one would notice it He asked the firefly to perch on his shoulder and with its wing to dim its lamp on the one side so as to keep the dazzle out of his eyes

”Co Maya's hand ”We had better cli of so the sprite had said, and as they clas dream when they sleep?”

”Not only then They dream sometimes even when they are awake

They sit with their bodies a little limp, their heads bent a little forward, and their eyes searching the distance, as if to see into the very heavens Their dreams are always lovelier than life That's e appear to theer on his lips, bent aside a sently pushed Maya ahead

”Look down,” he said softly, ”you'll see what you have been wishi+ng to see”

The little bee looked and sao hu on a bench in the shadows cast by theon the boy's shoulder, and the boy holding his arirl as if to protect her They sat in coht

It was as quiet as if they had both gone to sleep Only fro of the crickets, and slowly, slowly the h the leaves

Maya, transported out of herself, gazed into the girl's face