Mystical

I remember the first time I ever saw a firefly. I was at an age where I was beginning to doubt things of a mystical nature. I thought fireflies would come under this category of a lovely thought but too bad it doesn't REALLY exist.
It was 1986 ... Expo 86! My family of four went along with my cousins on the way to Vancouver. First stop was in Jasper. We stayed at the hotel right on the main street of Jasper, above the drugstore on the corner, with the Jasper Bear out front??? A bit divey but quaint, nice view & the pop machine was broken so we were getting 50 cent pop for a nickel! It was very hot at night and we were all crammed into one (smelly) room; 11 of us??. There I was on the floor trying to sleep and I saw them! I could not believe my eyes!
We were supposed to be "being quiet", even still I tried to tell somebody. I was answered back with something like a "just go to sleep" when I pointed to the window and announced "LOOK! What is that?". Little lights bouncing up & down outside our open window.
I whispered to my cousin who was lying next to me in his sleeping bag. He told me, like I was an idiot, that they were fireflies. Never in my life had I seen such a thing.
I told my parents the next morning and my Dad was impressed & delighted to know I had had such a discovery.
I don't think I have seen any more than once or possibly twice since then. But once is plenty enough :)
When we had made it to Vancouver I then discovered slugs! Had never seen one of them neither! We did wake up on a trampoline one morning (after a night of shooting star gazing, another novelty) surrounded by the huge slime balls.
You'd a thunk I was raised in a barn or somethin' 'ceptin them folks see fireflies, slugs & shooting stars all the time! So I guess I just *wish* I was raised in a barn.