The Mason Jar (cont'd)

Colin sat back down and looked around at the forest. Rich color speckled his surroundings and fragrant, lush ground cover lay at his feet. Most of the cover was made up of very old ferns out of which unfolded fiddleheads with tiny spirals shooting out of them. Colin always thought they looked like little snails. He liked to hold them delicately in his fingers and feel the fuzz that grew on them. They smelled so good — alive and fresh and like the air after a good rain.

Age old trees made up most of the woods—beeches, maples and one giant ancient oak. The old tree was his favorite and Colin often looked at it as a wise old friend. He knew that sounded crazy but that's how he felt. Some nights he would come out here just to sit and talk to that old tree. It always made him feel better. Colin thought if any of his friends, or even his mum found him out here at night babbling away to no one in particular, they would have him committed.

It was beginning to get darker and even though Colin felt safe and happy her knew his mum would worry if he wasn't back yet. He looked down at his old jar and could see that he had not yet caught any fireflies. He would give it a few more minutes and then he'd have  to make his way back home.

His mum didn't like him to get too far into the dense backwoods. She worried about him so much lately, he could tell. Ever since his dad died this past winter, things have been different. So different. Colin felt the shift in his mother since then. She seemed to be lost. She'd forget things that she hadn't before and some nights he'd catch her just sitting in her chair staring off into space. His mother used to be busy every night — knitting, reading, talking on the phone or watching the telly. Not anymore. It was just the two of them now and Colin felt lost too. He didn't know what to do for his mum.

The wind began to pick up and nightfall came. The many fireflies became few and the handfuls that remained began to slowly shut their lights down for the night and go wherever it was that fireflies went. Colin looked into the night sky and was surprised to see the moon had already made it's appearance. "It's later than I thought", Colin stated, to the huge oak tree.  "I better get back."

He stood up with a heavy sigh, just as her heard his mum calling him. Grabbing the jar and the lid, covered with tiny holes, and screwing it back on, Colin made his way back to the cottage. He'd just have to try again tomorrow.