Ch. 7: Light
Requested by my friend Shireheart. I have to agree with you, Shireheart; Glowworm gets next to no attention and I'm not sure I really did her justice. Ah, well, I tried.
Light. Light was her power and with it, her sight. Glowworm's sense of hearing allowed her to pick up only the bare minimum of sound, even when noises were amplified in the underground home in which she and countless other bugs dwelled. Glowworm had long ago accepted this fact and had lived her life in accordance to what her light revealed to her.
It was only with her light that Glowworm was able to gain an inkling about the changes that had affected her life. Only the illumination of her tail showed her what had happened not only to her, but to the other five bugs who also managed to encounter those green... things.
It was her light that had first shown her the open space in the middle of the peach. It was by her light that all six bugs had managed to meet and discuss what their next move should be. And it was her light that allowed them to look upon the face of the boy who would soon become the most precious thing in their lives.
Glowworm was fascinated by James; out of all the bugs, she had been the only one completely ignorant of his existence. Being mostly deaf and having lived below ground, she was barely aware of Spiker and Sponge and thus knew nothing about their nephew until he literally dropped in on the group.
James looked nothing like the brief glimpses of Spiker and Sponge she had obtained so long ago. Indeed, if she had to guess, Glowworm would have said that James could not possibly be related to the two cruel women at all. Everything about the little boy, from his large brown eyes, sweet, open face, and piping childish voice (what little she could hear, anyway) made her want to be around him all the more.
He was a little light; a light that she-like the others- was drawn to.
Yes, that was it! James was like a little candle flame Glowworm mused as she perched in her hollow lantern. True, he was small and not the strongest flame, but he was such a comfort to look at. Such a soothing light.
Such a sweet boy.
Glowworm sighed as she watched James sleep on the web Miss Spider had made for him. Poor thing, he looked so worn out. Then again, it had been a difficult day and this was likely the first time James had slept comfortably since the deaths of his parents. But as Glowworm could see, James wasn't sleeping peacefully.
True, the child wasn't tossing and turning, or even whimpering in his dreams for that manner. But the fretful expression of his face was distressing enough. It seemed her little candle flame was in the presence of a strong wind trying to extinguish it and Glowworm had a pretty good idea of where that wind were coming from. How James had managed to weather such abuse at such a young age was beyond Glowworm. The poor thing must be in dire need of some form of comfort and Glowworm had an idea of just how to offer it.
Lighting the tip of her tail, Glowworm arched the bulb toward James, spilling a soft green shine over his face. To her relief, the action seemed to calm the little boy and the fearful expression slowly drained away, leaving peace in its place.
Why, it worked! Glowworm dimmed the light a little; enough so that she wouldn't disturb anyone, but bright enough to serve as... well, as a nightlight for her boy. After all, she had to help keep James, her little light, burning brightly.