Blue Hour

Chapter 112

There were small lights fluttering around her, and little by  it lit up the area. She extended her hand and reached out for the light, and it perched on her finger. 

“Oh my goodness, fireflies?” She said, delighted. The whole place was not illuminated by thousands of fireflies, as if they were celebrating her arrival. 

Her eyes twinkled as the fireflies danced around her, as if they were giving her some sort of blessing. She can feel the warmth that the little creatures were giving off. She was really happy at that moment, not thinking about everything. All the thoughts, worries and fears vanished as soon as she saw this scene.

“I wonder why there are a lot of fireflies here? Is this because the harvest season is coming? I never heard or read anything like this.” Mercedes told herself and continued watching the fireflies. Little by little, they jumped from tree to tree, as if they were Christmas lights blinking. 

She followed everything with her eyes, and in the middle, a lot of fireflies gathered. She slowly walked towards the direction and saw that there was a small tree that was beginning to grow. She crouched and watched the plant. 

“Oh, what a late bloomer.” Mercedes said, and examined the small mango tree. 

“I hope that you will grow big and strong, just like everyone around you.” She said and touched the tip of the leaf. The fireflies too, felt like they were giving their blessings to the plant, and continued dancing around her. 

“Mercedes?” Someone shouted, looking for her. The voice became louder and louder as it approached her. The fireflies began to disappear, leaving her in the middle of the orchard. The light from the lamps flickered in the dark, getting closer and closer. Roman and Austin were looking for her. 

As soon as Roman saw her, he dashed and hugged her tightly. “What are you doing here at this hour, Mercedes?” 

“You wouldn’t believe what I saw, my dear.” Mercedes said. 

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

“Earlier, I felt some sort of energy calling me here, and that’s the reason why I went here. When I arrived, the whole place was illuminated with fireflies. A lot of them.” Mercedes said happily. 

Roman and Austin looked at each other. “But dear, fireflies are not living in this area.”

“That’s right, Ma’am. Fireflies have been pretty scarce here ever since.” Austin said. 

“But I saw a lot of them, as if they were dancing and giving me blessings. They also showed me this little guy.” She said, pointing at the ground. 

Roman and Austin moved closer, lighting up the area where Mercedes was pointing at. The two of them were surprised by what they saw as well. It was a sapling, and a little light suddenly flickered on one of its leaves. There was a firefly perched on the leaf. 

“Wow, how did this happen?” Roman said. 

“Yes sir, this is also the first time I saw a firefly in this area. To think it will perch on this sapling. I think this is a sign of good luck, like Ma’am Mercedes said. The land and the local deities are blessing you.” Austin said. 

“Blessing us? But we are already blessed with everything that we have right now.” Austin said, as she held Mercedes hand. He cannot believe what he heard, but he is the sort of person who did not fully believe in miracles. 

“Yes Sir. Let’s not waste this opportunity. As the old people say here, let’s pay a tribute to the local deities to thank them.” Austin suggested.

“But how do we do that?” Mercedes and Roman asked. 

“Let me handle it Sir. I will call the local shaman to help us with that.” 

“Okay, we will leave it to you, Austin. Thank you for telling us, and now I am still full of hope that our only wish will come true.” Mercedes said,

“Yes, Ma’am. The land blessed you already, and there is nothing wrong in believing.” Austin said. 

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go now, so that everyone can rest already.” Roman said. The three left the orchard, leaving with a hopeful heart for their wishes.

After two days, the news spread all over the farm and everyone was excited with what they heard. Roman also agreed that they would do the thanksgiving to the deities the coming Sunday, as it was believed that the land was very magical at that time. 

Sunday came, and everyone was busy preparing for the celebration and for their offerings. The shaman named Arnolfo came, and talked with the couple.

“I heard from Austin about what happened, and this is the first time after a few years that this happened again. Who would have thought that the land will bless you, the two of you. You must have done great deeds, and the flow of time blessed you with this.” He said, and smiled at the couple. 

“We are already blessed with everything, and we are not asking for more. We worked really hard so that we can achieve this status. Also, we are really thankful for the people around us, and this will not be very possible.” Emphasis shapes the centre of interest in an image. Colour, space, texture, and line work together to determine the focus of an image.

“Such a good heart, and I can feel your sincerity. Now I know the reason why this land blessed the two of you. Also, that one thing that you have wished for will come true.” Arnolfo said. 

“We really hope so, Sir. That’s one of our long time wishes, to have our own child.” Mercedes said. 

“Don’t worry, I can sense a new beginning, a new life from you. That life will bring joy to you, but heed my warning, you should take care of it. That life will have a fateful encounter that will change the flow of time. I cannot say that it’s bad or good, but let’s hope for the best.”

The couple looked at each other, trying to absorb everything that the shaman told them. What they could feel at that time was happiness, instead of worry, because their wish will come true at last.