Fern was a little doll who lived in the woods among the ferns. She loved to watch the fireflies, who would light up the night with their twinkling glow. She wished she could be friends with them, but they were too fast and too shy for her to catch.
One night, she decided to try something different. She put on her green dress and brown shoes, and took a small jar with a lid. She went outside and waited for the fireflies to appear. She saw them flying around the trees, blinking on and off.
She ran after them, trying to catch one in her jar. But they were too quick and too clever for her. They dodged her every move, and flew away from her reach. Fern felt frustrated and sad. She wondered why they didn’t want to be friends with her.
She sat down on a log and sighed. She looked at her empty jar and felt lonely. She wished she had someone to talk to, someone who would understand her.
After a brief rest she decided to get up and give it one more try, to her amazement she was able to catch a single firefly.
While looking at the glowing firefly she had caught in the jar, suddenly, she heard a small voice near her ear. It said, “Hello, little doll. What are you doing out here in the dark?”
Fern looked around and saw a tiny light hovering next to her. It was a firefly, one of the ones she had been chasing. She was surprised and delighted. She said, “Hello, little firefly. I’m Fern, and I live in the woods among the ferns. I was trying to catch one of you in my jar, because I wanted to be friends with you.”
The firefly said, “Oh, I see. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we don’t like being caught in jars. We like to fly free and light up the night. We are not toys or pets for dolls.”
Fern felt ashamed and sorry. She said, “I’m sorry, little firefly. I didn’t mean to hurt you or your friends or make you unhappy. I just wanted to have some fun and maybe learn more about you and your friends.”
The firefly said, “It’s okay, Fern. I forgive you. You seem like a nice doll, and I can tell you are curious and friendly. Maybe we can be friends after all.”
Fern smiled and said, “Really? You mean it?”
The firefly said, “Yes, I do. But on one condition: you have to let my friend that is in your jar go, and promise not to catch me or any of my friends in your jar again.”
Fern agreed and said, “Of course, I promise. I don’t want to trap you or any of your friends and make you unhappy. I want to be your friend.”
She opened her jar and let the firefly go. He flew out of the jar and thanked her for her kindness.
He said, “You’re welcome, Fern. And thank you for being my friend.”
He then called out to his other firefly friends, who had been watching from afar.
He said, “Hey guys, come over here! I want you to meet Fern, the doll who lives among the ferns. She’s nice and friendly, and she wants to be our friend too.”
The other fireflies flew over and greeted Fern with their lights.
They said, “Hello, Fern! We’re happy to meet you!”
Fern was overjoyed to see them all. She said, “Hello, fireflies! I’m happy to meet you too!”
They became friends and they talked and laughed and played together.
They showed her their favorite places in the woods and they lit up the night with their glow.
They had so much fun that they didn’t notice how late it was. They realized that they had to go back to their homes before dawn. They said goodbye to each other and promised to meet again soon.
She followed them as they flew through the woods. They soon reached her home among the ferns.
Fern had an amazing night in the woods, and she had learned a lot, she had made new friends, and she had found her way back home with the help.
Soon she fell asleep in her fern bed, dreaming of her next night with the fireflies.