Childhood (flash fiction

Childhood

by nez covington

Party outside, damp summer night, strands of lights and fuming outdoor ovens releasing smoke into dark woods. Kids run, barefoot and screaming, untamed, across a clearing; catch fireflies, watch them crawl, flashing urgently inside sweaty, clenched fists. I stand at mama’s side, muffin crumbs on puckered mouth, staring at the ground. I watch another child squash a firefly between two fingers, and start to cry.