Monday, June 22, 2015

Magic in Nature

As an author of speculative fiction, I constantly imagine and dream of new worlds. Magic is something fun to write about, and to envision. Yet, occasionally I encounter something in nature that is more magical than anything I've dreamed. Such sights fuel imagination, stirring creativity to new levels.


Last week, I was walking my dog at twilight. There is a huge tree behind my yard, which stood silhouetted against the rapidly dusking sky. As I watched, the entire tree sparkled. Hundreds of fireflies swarmed around every branch, shining for a moment, before darting somewhere new. My camera was inside, and even my phone was charging (the pic above isn't the tree, I borrowed a different pic from the internet). With no way to record such an image, I simply stared. Glowing dots dancing and flying around a shadowy mass of tangled branches. Fairies flying around a giant? Magic sparkling around a void?

I looked at the top of the tree, and saw something spewing from the tree's crown. I thought, perhaps, the tree was smoking. These tiny sparks flew upward, with clouds of smoke wafting away. After a moment of confusion, I realized what the dark swirls were. Dozens and dozens of bats circled the tree, perhaps planning to eat some of the fireflies. The effect was pure magic. Sparkles below, a shadow behind, and waves of winged smoke circling above. 

When I returned inside, I instantly dove into my writing.

What sights in nature have inspired you lately?

5 comments:

  1. Hi Chris, what's the old adage about having time to stand and stare. lovely moment for you and thanks for letting us share it, Anne Stenhouse

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  2. Thanks for stopping by Anne. :-) Any inspiring moments for you recently?

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  3. Chris, I love fireflies. What a wonderful sight that must have been. As you said, magical!

    My sister gets a lot of fireflies where they live in northern Illinois. I love to visit them in the summer and watch the fireflies dancing in their backyard. We don't get as many here even though I make mention of fireflies in my third Kay Driscoll mystery coming out in Fall.

    Wonderful post!

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  4. Thanks Susan. We get a ton of fireflies here in DC. My wife and I actually just had our whole front yard re-landscaped, mostly with vegetable gardens and some flowers. One type of beetle really seemed to be eating up some of the flowers. I found one inside the house, and without hesitation smashed it- oh no, the beetle started to glow- I'd killed a firefly by mistake. Felt super-guilty. :-)

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  5. I wonder what draws fireflies to certain areas of the country. Your front yard sounds lovely. Have a great summer, Chris.

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