Chasing Fireflies

by Charles Martin

Rocketing through the hazy orange glow of dawn, the green 1972 four-door Chevrolet Impala fishtailed sideways off the dirt road onto Highway 99, squealing both

My type of a story beginning.

opulence

“And they ate supper before they said grace.”

“Gonna be a real frog-strangling turd-floater.”

“Oh . . . never mind that. It’s just God moving the furniture.”

“It’s raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock.”

“Sort of makes your butt feel likes it’s dipping snuff.”

silence, letting the wind mess up her hair. We soon

“Ruskin’s my first name. Skinner’s my last. Momma called me Rusky. And my kids don’t call me at all anymore.”

“The only monster you need to worry about in this life is the one that stares at you from the mirror each morning. You tame him, make friends with him, and the rest of life is nothing you can’t handle.”

“Scientists say that these things evolved this way over millions of years.” He shook his head. “That’s a bunch of bunk. I don’t think an animal can just all-of-a-sudden decide it wants to make light grow out its butt. What kind of nonsense is that? Animals don’t make light.” He pointed to the stars. “God does that. I don’t know why or how, but I’m pretty sure it’s not chance. It’s not some haphazard thing he does in his spare time.” He looked at me, and his expression changed from one of wonder to seriousness, to absolute conviction. “Chase, I don’t believe in chance.” He held up the jar. “This is not chance, neither are the stars.” I was hurting inside, and the streaks shining on my face didn’t scratch the surface at telling how much. He tapped me gently in the chest. “And neither are you. So, if your mind is telling you that God slipped up and might have made one giant mistake when it comes to you, you remember the firefly’s butt.”

You gotta love this quote!

My single scoop of the Milky Way.

“You can put your boots in the oven, but that doesn’t make them biscuits.”