The Firefly with the Tiny Light

Deep in the forest stood a great big oak tree.

On the oak tree was a little round door—that was Chestnut's Pharmacy.

This morning, Chestnut stood by the door, polishing his glass jars until they sparkled.

Blink... blink...

By the door, there was a teeny-tiny light, blinking on and off.

"Excuse me... is Chestnut here?"

It was a little firefly, and his name was Glimmer.

"Chestnut... I have a problem," Glimmer said in a very small voice.

"My light is so, so small."

"In the daytime it's too bright to see it, and at night it's only a tiny bit."

"Last night, everyone lit up together."

"Their lights were so big and bright, they glowed like one great big blanket of light."

"Only my light was tiny. In a blink, you couldn't see it at all."

Glimmer's light grew a little bit dimmer.

"When I see them shine so bright, I want to shine like that too... and my heart feels all sour inside."

"That feeling," Chestnut said softly, "is called feeling envious."

"It's when you see something someone else has, and you wish you had it too."

Chestnut pushed up his round glasses.

"Hmm... let me think..."

He turned around and looked at the jars on the shelf.

"Aha! This jar right here!"

Chestnut climbed up his little ladder, reaching for a yellow jar.

The ladder wibbled and wobbled, wibbled and wobbled—

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh!"

CRASH!

Down went Chestnut again, and yellow candies rolled everywhere.

Chestnut straightened his crooked glasses and brushed the candy dust off his fur.

"I-I'm fine. A pharmacist must stay calm."

Glimmer couldn't help but giggle. "Pfft."

Chestnut picked up one candy and placed it gently in Glimmer's tiny hands.

"This is the Yellow Bright-Idea Candy."

"Once you eat it, a bright and shiny idea will pop right into your head."

Glimmer looked at the candy. It glowed like a teeny-tiny sun.

Glimmer put the candy in his mouth.

It was sweet. It was warm.

He flew slowly toward home, thinking and thinking, thinking and thinking...

Suddenly, he heard a tiny crying sound in the grass.

It was a little ladybug named Dottie.

"My favorite little bead rolled into a crack between the rocks!"

The crack was skinny and dark.

The big fireflies wanted to help, but their bodies were too big to squeeze inside.

And from the outside, their light couldn't reach into the crack at all.

Glimmer remembered the candy.

"Let me try!"

His body was tiny—just the right size to squeeze inside.

His light was tiny—just right to light up the skinny little crack.

"Found it! The little bead is right here!"

Glimmer flew slowly out and gave the little bead back to Dottie.

"Wow—Glimmer, you're amazing!"

"Your light is so small, it fit right in!"

"Our big lights couldn't reach at all!"

Dottie hugged her little bead and said thank you, thank you, over and over again.

Glimmer flew back to the pharmacy.

"Chestnut! Your candy is magic! I thought of an idea!"

"Did you now?" Chestnut asked with a smile.

"Who do you think had that idea—the candy, or you?"

Glimmer tilted his head and thought for a moment.

"It was... me! I thought of it myself!"

"That's right," said Chestnut.

"Your light is small—and that's exactly why it can slip into small places."

"Every light has something only it can do."

"Thank you, Chestnut."

"I-I'm fine. A pharmacist must stay calm."

But Chestnut's cheeks turned pink.

Glimmer blinked and twinkled all the way home, happy as could be.

Chestnut watched his tiny light, and pushed his crooked glasses back up.

Then he turned around and put the yellow jar back on the shelf.

Who will come knocking tomorrow, I wonder?