An Ethereal Visit

12:42 a.m. As I rolled to the side of my bed, I checked the time on my cell phone. I had been awake for hours, overwhelmed with emotions. Dejectedly, I straightened my body, leaning against the wall. My grandma passed away yesterday. My mum said she left for a better place. The truth is, my grandma died because of angina pectoris. I remembered how helpless we were, witnessing grandma struggling in pain but we could not do anything to help. As cold sweat washed her pale face, her eyebrows were knitted together; the suffering was unbearable for her fragile body. Gently I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. Maybe I could use a glass of water.

Walking out of my room at a slow pace, I opened the door and headed towards my kitchen. Refreshed, I stared outside the window at the velvety night sky. With soft, gentle glow, moonlight lit up Mother Nature. Out of a sudden, something caught my attention. As I glanced at the direction, I saw a spark of light. Or should I say a light yellow kind of glow. It was a firefly, trying to make its way into the house through the transparent glass window. Without any hesitation, I pushed the window open to let the firefly in. Then something magical happened.

The firefly flew in straight in front of me. Covering my mouth with my palm, tears began to careen down my cheeks. We Chinese believe that after one dies, he or she might turn into an animal; maybe a moth or butterfly or even a cat. So here I was with an unexpected visitor from afar, far away. A place where no one knows its address. Though there was no scientific proof to show any signs of 'life after death' as real, it was like a miracle to me. A chance for me to say hello and good-bye, again. At this second, I hope I could communicate telepathically with the firefly.

"Bye. We'll miss you... ."