Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Zara who loved the magic of nature. She would spend her days playing under the sunny sky, but when the sun began to set, a strange feeling crept into her heart. You see, Zara had a secret: she was afraid of the dark. Although she had a soft little doll that glowed in the dark, and a night light shaped like a moon, they didn’t always help to chase away her fears.
One night, as she watched the sky turn purple and orange with the setting sun, Zara’s grandmother sat beside her and said, “Zara, tonight will be the best time to climb the hill. The stars are brighter than you’ve ever seen, sparkling like diamonds on a black velvet blanket!” Zara gasped in awe and looked towards the hill that stood tall outside her window. But as the moon rose slowly, she felt the fear come creeping back.
“Will you accompany me, Grandmother?” Zara asked.
“O, I would love to, dear. But I think you should go by yourself,” her grandmother said. “Each little twinkle in the sky has a secret to tell you. You will not be afraid; you will see!”
“But the dark!” Zara fretted.
“Light your way with a bucket of fireflies. You know they always follow you.” Her grandmother kissed her forehead, and Zara felt a flicker of courage inside her. “When you reach the hill, set your fireflies free, and listen to what they whisper to the stars.” Off her grandmother went to prepare, so Zara swiftly got dressed, lit her soft little lantern, picked an empty lemonade bucket and waited impatiently.
Soon, Zara’s grandmother returned wearing her beautiful lavender dress, the ones covered with flowers. The lantern in Zara’s hand, together with her grandmother’s, lit up their way up to the hill. But by the time they reached it, all the fireflies had just gone to sleep. “Oh no, Grandmother,” Zara whispered sadly. At that moment, her grandmother handed her the old lemonade bucket.
“My child, ask the fireflies to wake up and let them know how much you need them,” she smiled.
So, Zara closed her eyes, and with all her heart she whispered, “Fireflies, fireflies, light up the skies for me… Will you wake for me, will you dance with glee?” And then, like magic, the bucket began to fill with fireflies, swarming to light up around with Zara.
“Now off you go, my little ones,” Zara said with a smile, “And meet me at the hill!”
So off they flew, straight up into the night, lighting up the all the twinkling stars and sparkly moon that chased the dark away. But up on the hill, Zara still felt shy and unsure. “Is it too dark, do you think?” she whispered to her grandmother.
“No, my darling. It helps us see those wonders we never noticed before. We see things, not just with our eyes but also with our hearts.”
So they sat side by side and shared stories. They told of their happy moments but also of the saddest ones, the times they cried, so the moon could feel the glow of their heart too. Zara’s courage finally grew and grew until her fears shrunk small, as she climbed to see the stars up close. Gazing beyond the world they both knew, she saw them—faces, animals, and flowers she had never noticed even by day. And by then Zara understood: it was not the dark to fear, it was the secrets it held that were most magical.
When at last mom called her to bed, Zara said: “I am back now, but the stars are so much more than I ever thought…”
“I know! I saw you talk to them,” her mother said. “From now on, Zara, always remember what you’ve told them. When you feel the dark creeping, just wish upon a star, and you will feel your courage shining bright, just like fireflies do.”