In a small village surrounded by mountains and meadows, there was a mysterious forest known as the Forest of Sleeping Lights. It was a special place because it was home to thousands of fireflies that, according to the elders of the village, once lit up the night as if the starry sky had fallen among the trees. But now, the fireflies no longer glowed. Their lights remained off, and the forest seemed sad under the darkness.
Dante, a curious seven-year-old boy, always dreamed of seeing the fireflies light up. He loved listening to his grandfather’s stories about how the nights used to be so bright that they didn’t even need lamps to walk through the forest. “Why did they stop glowing?” Dante would ask over and over again. His grandfather would only sigh and say, “They say their light depends on something more than just themselves.”
One afternoon, while exploring the forest, Dante found something surprising. Among the dry leaves and low branches, a small firefly flickered faintly. It was the first time he had seen a light in that place. He approached slowly, and to his amazement, the firefly spoke.
“Hello, little one,” said the firefly in a soft voice. “My name is Luma. I’m the last one still trying to shine, but I can’t do it alone.”
“What happened to the other lights?” asked Dante, excited but also worried.
“The fireflies lose their glow when humans forget to marvel,” explained Luma. “The magic of our light lives in the curiosity and wonder of those who watch us. But a long time ago, adults stopped looking at the world with innocent eyes. They no longer pause to admire the small things, like the sparkle of a star or the flight of a butterfly.”
Dante felt a mix of sadness and determination. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Luma smiled weakly. “Perhaps. If you can awaken curiosity and wonder in your village, our lights might return. But it won’t be easy. You’ll have to remind them how wonderful the world around them is.”
Determined to help, Dante ran back to the village to tell all his friends: Marta, a girl who loved to paint; Simón, a boy who collected strange stones; and Ana, who always carried a notebook to write stories. When he explained what he had discovered, they all agreed to help without hesitation.
The four friends began to devise a plan. “If we want the adults to remember how to marvel, we must show them things that make them feel like children again,” said Marta. So each of them used their talents to create magical moments in the village.
Marta painted enormous murals on the village walls, filled with vibrant colors and fantastical animals. Simón organized an exhibition of his rarest stones, explaining how each one had a unique story. Ana wrote poems about clouds and stars and read them aloud in the main square. And Dante, with Luma’s help, guided the villagers into the forest to show them its secrets: the whisper of the leaves, the song of the crickets, and the whimsical shapes of the ferns.
At first, the adults barely paid attention. They were busy with their jobs and responsibilities, and many thought these games were only for children. But little by little, something began to change. One day, a man who was always serious stopped in front of one of Marta’s murals and smiled when he saw a dragon painted among flowers. Another woman, while listening to one of Ana’s poems, looked up at the sky and exclaimed, “I haven’t looked at the clouds in years!”
The children didn’t give up. They organized a big night of observation in the forest. They invited all the villagers, from the youngest to the oldest, and brought blankets and flashlights. When everyone was gathered, Dante asked them to close their eyes and listen to the sound of the wind through the trees. Then, Marta asked them to imagine the forest filled with dancing lights. Simón showed them how the stones glowed under the moonlight, and Ana read a poem about the beauty of the night.
That’s when something incredible happened. A small light flickered in the darkness. Then another. And another. The fireflies began to glow timidly, as if waking up from a long sleep. The adults opened their eyes, amazed, and saw the forest come alive with thousands of dancing lights. Some clapped, others cried, and many held hands, remembering how wonderful it was to share simple moments.
Luma flew toward Dante and his friends, now shining brighter than ever before. “You did it,” she said joyfully. “You’ve brought magic back to the forest.”
From that night on, the Forest of Sleeping Lights was once again known for its glow. The adults in the village began to pay more attention to the small wonders they had once ignored: the color of a flower, the reflection of the moon in a puddle, the smell of the earth after the rain. And though they still had responsibilities, they learned to balance them with moments of wonder and fun.
Dante and his friends became the guardians of the forest. Every night, they visited the fireflies and told them new stories about what they had discovered in the world. In return, the fireflies taught them secrets of the forest that no one else knew.
The forest never lost its light again because the villagers learned that true magic lies in the ability to marvel. And even as they grew older, they always remembered that, even in the darkest days, there are small lights waiting to be discovered.
The literary works exhibited in Fanshie are registered under Intellectual Property.
