Martell 2024

What if lightning bugs are actually fairies?!

Door 14

Jane's face beamed in delight as she watched her kid sister mimic her yoga moves. "That's it! Wow, you're getting really good at this. It took me three weeks to do that when I first tried yoga."

"I want to do everything you do!" And it was apparent that she did! The nine-year-old adored her big, half-sister.

Jane came to stay with her father, his new wife, and her half-sister every summer. Carl Stuart divorced Jane's mother when Jane was only three years old in order to marry his second wife. Life was tough for Jane until Nola was born. Now, Jane looked forward to those summer visits to this beach house because she loved her little sister.

"Try this move now. It's called an Eagle Pose. Start with both feet together." The teen demonstrated, glancing to make sure little Nola copied. "Lift one foot, and put it on the side of the other." Nola looked a bit wobbly but she copied. "Next, put both arms up, and tangle them. This is to mimic the eagle in its nest."

"Ahhhhhh!" Nola, a tangled mess, fell, laughing, into the soft sand.

"Nola! Let me help you up!" The fourteen-year-old giggled as she pulled Nola to her feet. "Let's try another move that's not as tangly."

*****************

There was a small garden area in front of the house, at the edge of the sand. There, a clan of lightning bugs lived in a fairy house, because lightning bugs are fairies after all. They looked on at the two sisters enjoying their time together on the beach. Glinda sighed. "Little do they know that Carl Stuart will be divorcing again. He will move away and have little to do with his wife and daughter after that. Jane might not see Nola much. This summer will be the last time they are together in, well, who knows how long."

"We should do something about it." Layla chimed in.

"Layla!" Glinda fluttered in circles as she spoke. "You know we can't interfere in people's love lives! That's not allowed! That's not what we do!"

"Glinda, they still love each other, I know it. We simply need to stop them from wanting to argue. If we sprinkle the couple with fairy dust anytime they are in a bad mood, they won't want to ever argue."

"Hmmm." Glinda pondered this thought. "I suppose if we just keep them in happy moods, it's not interfering. Sure, let's try that."

**********************

"Carl!! Did you leave the milk out of the fridge!!" Megan's brow tightened as she picked up the warm container of milk from the counter."

Glinda and Layla sped by and sprinkled her with the magic dust before Carl came into the room.

"Did you say something, dear?"

Megan looked confused. Her attention glanced down to the container of milk in her hand. "Oh! I guess I started to say, thanks for taking the milk out of the refrigerator. I just noticed that the date was expired. I'll pick some up while I'm out." She grinned and gave Carl a little kiss.

********************

The summer was nearly at an end. Carl and Megan, the now loving couple, stood arm and arm looking out at the two girls doing yoga on the beach.

"They are so good together. We should plan a Christmas cruise so they can be together more often than just the summer." Megan smiled up at her husband.

"Alright, Tina gets to have Jane for Christmas, but we've all been getting along well lately..."
He paused and looked around, Did he just hear lightning bugs giggling? No, they simply buzzed by.
"Um, so we all have been getting along so well, maybe we could see if Bob and Tina want to go on the cruise. They would bring Jane, and this way, it would be a start to Jane and Nola spending more and more time together going forward."

"I'd be okay with that. Yes, I'd like that."

Carl pulled his wife closer, kissing the top of her head.

Glinda and Layla gave each other a high five.



Prompt: What if lightning bugs are actually fairies?!

Word Count: 684