As I approached the turn off- I saw the phone booth that’s reported to have a little girl wearing all-white that appears in it. My heart leapt when I made the turn— but only an empty phone box appeared.

Any solo hesitations were rendered redundant as I ran into a clutch of families also on the same nature outing.

With the wave of an imaginary wand— the tiny phosphorescent motes of light filled the sky. The rush of the creek beneath the cement bridge provided the backdrop to a chorus of frogs as the fireflies danced above.

I thought of magic and small miracles. Heartbeats made more— the primal awakening of a sight that harkens back seventy thousand years. I stood within the same valley as a historic battlefield the Mongols fell upon as this tranquil site.

I took no photos or videos— knowing they’d be incapable of capturing what snares the soul. I stood in the warm, freshly bloomed summer darkness and watched a symphony of light play out before me.