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The cool breeze swept through the Grass Leaf Forest at night, and the hazy moonlight filtered through layers of grass leaves, covering the ground like a light veil, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. To Xiao Zhuzi's surprise, it was not as quiet as she had imagined; the sounds of insects chirping intertwined from near and far, responding to each other. The crickets sang joyfully while others, whose names she did not know, made loud calls intermittently.
Immersed in this pleasant ambiance, Xiao Zhuzi felt much of her anxiety dissipate. She began to hum a little tune softly:
“The moon lies on the clouds, gently singing a lullaby. The stars close their little eyes, sleeping soundly.”
This song was taught to her by her mother, and every note reminded her of her mother’s tenderness. Ah, how she missed her mother! Xiao Zhuzi's nose tinged with a bit of sadness, but she silently told herself to be strong. She would surely find Dragonfly Elder and reunite with her parents!
The Snail Village Chief seemed to sense the shift in Xiao Zhuzi's emotions. He said gently, “Xiao Zhuzi, I know you must miss your parents very much, but I believe you are a strong and brave little girl. Besides, you have an even more important task now!”
“Ah? What task is that, Wise Snail Village Chief?” Xiao Zhuzi asked with a stuffy nose.
“The Grass Leaf Forest is not as safe as Snail Village. While we travel, we may overlook hidden dangers. If we encounter sudden threats, the consequences could be dire! So your task is to stay vigilant and observe your surroundings at all times. Report to me immediately if you see anything unusual or hear any strange sounds! Can you do that?”
“Absolutely! I promise to complete the task!” Xiao Zhuzi replied loudly, her serious expression and proud posture resembling that of a little scout.
Seeing Xiao Zhuzi shake off her sadness almost instantly and quickly enter a state of alertness filled the Snail Village Chief with relief. In just one day, he could clearly see that this eight-year-old child was becoming stronger.
So they continued on their journey—one focused on moving forward while the other remained vigilant—until the moon hung high in the sky. Suddenly, Xiao Zhuzi exclaimed, “Wow! Wise Snail Village Chief, look over there! What is that? It’s so beautiful!”
Following Xiao Zhuzi's pointing finger, the Snail Village Chief saw a large area nearby filled with flickering lights that sparkled like fallen stars from the sky. Xiao Zhuzi gazed at this enchanting scene in awe when she suddenly noticed something unusual about the Snail Village Chief.
He appeared extremely frightened; even his hard shell trembled slightly as beads of cold sweat rolled down his head. Confused, Xiao Zhuzi was about to ask what was wrong when she heard him whisper urgently, “Shh! Xiao Zhuzi, whatever you do, don’t make a sound! This place is very dangerous!”
Before he finished speaking, the Snail Village Chief bolted in another direction—albeit at a Giant Snail's pace—but for the tiny Xiao Zhuzi, it felt fast enough to make her grip tightly onto the handles of her cart as anxiety surged within her. What could possibly frighten the Snail Village Chief so much?
They ran in tense silence for what felt like an eternity until they could no longer see even a glimmer of those flickering lights. Only then did the Snail Village Chief slow down his pace and catch his breath. Xiao Zhuzi cautiously looked around before whispering, “Wise Snail Village Chief, can I speak now? Are we safe?”
“Phew—we’ve run far enough; we should be okay now.” After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he instructed her seriously, “Xiao Zhuzi, remember that if you ever see those flickering lights again, you must tell me immediately! That’s a very dangerous signal! Do you understand?”
“I understand! But Wise Snail Village Chief, what exactly are those flickering lights?”
“They are fireflies!” The fear in the Snail Village Chief's voice was still evident.
“What! Fireflies?” Xiao Zhuzi exclaimed in surprise. In her mind, fireflies were always considered “cute little bugs,” how could they possibly be associated with danger? It seemed utterly absurd!
“You must think I’m cowardly,” the Snail Village Chief glanced at Xiao Zhuzi with mild annoyance and said. “Fireflies may not be dangerous to you, but they are one of our Giant Snail clan's natural enemies!”
“Fireflies eat Giant Snails?” Xiao Zhuzi was astonished; she found it hard to believe that such small creatures could consume something much larger than themselves. “Wise Snail Village Chief, you are much bigger than fireflies! How could they… um… how could they harm you?”
“Although fireflies are smaller than us Giant Snails,” the Snail Village Chief explained seriously, “their larvae are one of our most feared enemies! The larvae have sharp jaws similar to needles that can easily pierce our soft bodies and inject us with a paralyzing toxin. Once injected with this toxin, a Giant Snail will immediately become completely immobilized and unable to escape. Then the firefly larvae will secrete a highly corrosive digestive fluid that dissolves our bodies into liquid form before consuming us as their meal…” After finishing this chilling description, the Snail Village Chief visibly shuddered in fear.
Hearing this harrowing account from the Snail Village Chief completely changed Xiao Zhuzi’s perception of fireflies—those seemingly harmless little bugs now appeared terrifying in her eyes.
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