The Fable of the Glow-worm by Barry J. Northern There was once a glow-worm who emerged out into the world for the first time, and beheld the night sky. While her sisters took their places on the blades of grass to await the menfolk, she stayed gazing at the stars. Before long Stargazer's sisters began to glow and twinkle around her in the grass. To the young glow-worm it was a pretty sight, but not as glorious as the stars above. Now it is the way of glow-worms for the menfolk and womenfolk to each be blessed with a different gift. The menfolk may fly among the heavens, yet are dull to behold. The womenfolk glow like gems, yet are wingless, and must remain among the tall grass. It was time for each of the womenfolk to attract a mate with her beauty, and so soon the evening air buzzed with the flapping of the menfolks' wings. Said Stargazer; "I desire not to be like my sisters, for they live an ordinary life." And so she began to climb the tallest stem she could find, looking up at the stars all the while as if trying to reach them. From time to time she would look back at her tail, and she began to believe it glowed more brightly than her sisters', for the higher she climbed, the smaller her sisters' lights appeared, and the larger her own glow seemed to her. One by one Stargazer watched her sisters' lights go out, for as soon as each one was paired with a mate, she would glow no more, and would settle down to make family with him. "Why can't I be like the stars," said she, "and burn all night, high in the sky for all to see and love?" She came to rest at the top of the great stem and thrust her tail high and bright. Many menfolk came to her, but she turned them all away, saying, "I shall not let you dim my light, I must share it with the world." After a time her's was the only light left among the grasses, and seeing only light-less glow-worms crawling beneath her, living ordinary lives, Stargazer believed she must be special like the stars. The night grew cold, and Stargazer began to feel tired, but she would not dim her glow, for she sought to impress those beneath her. Before long a young man, the only glow-worm without a mate, alighted atop the great stem in front of Stargazer. Said he; "Your light is the highest and brightest, and you are beautiful to behold. Will you make family with me?" "I will not," said she, "for then I will glow no more and become as dull as everyone else." "Tell me," said he, "how long do you think your beautiful glow will last?" "For as long as the stars." "Then what will you do come morning? For the sun outshines them all." Stargazer felt more tired now, and her glow was already beginning to dim. She made no reply. The young man took flight, saying. "I will return again soon. If you then choose not to accept me I will bother you no more." At first, Stargazer scoffed, for the young man was dull, but the more tired she grew, the more his words made their effect on her. She dwelt upon what the future might bring, and when the young man returned, she had the sense at last to agree to make family with him. Though her light went out, she loved her husband, and when her children were born she beheld that the slow-burning fire within her heart was brighter than any star. It was an invigorating light not a tiring one, and it was a light that would never dim. The Fable of the Glow-worm by Barry J. Northern is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. Hosted by The Internet Archive, download MP3 here. Music by Jeff Wahl from the album, Meditative Guitar, track 1 "Lullaby", and provided by magnatune.com