Ember and the New Nest
by Namu Marupudi
EMBER A firefly who loves her willow tree branch, and must learn to share it — and her spotlight.
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About this story
In the crook of the old willow tree, where the branches curve just right, lives a firefly named Ember — and that hollow is hers alone. Every evening at purple-dusk she lights up her glow, bright and steady, and calls to the crickets below: 'The brightest light in the whole willow tree!' It's true — mostly because she is completely alone. Then, after a storm destroys their old tree, Glimmer and her baby Flicker come asking for shelter, and Ember's first thought surprises even her: But this is MY tree. She says yes — 'just for a little while' — but soon the crickets only have eyes for Flicker's stuttering little light, and a prickly, forgotten feeling curls up in Ember's chest. When Flicker wobbles over and asks, 'Will you teach me to glow steady, like you? Yours is the best light I've ever seen' — Ember opens her mouth to say no, and finds the word sticking in her throat. A gentle, honest story about jealousy, new siblings, and sharing your branch.
- Glow — a soft, steady light, like a firefly's
- Hollow — the cozy curve of a branch, Ember's home
- Spotlight — being the one everyone watches
- Stutter — to stop and start, like Flicker's uneven light
- Jealous — the prickly feeling when others get the attention
- Shelter — a safe place to stay when your home is lost
- Steady — even and unshaking, like Ember's glow
- Together — sharing one branch instead of guarding it
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