[Short Story] The Red Dragonfly and the Little Treasure | #RainbowCreativeClub

On a sunny Saturday in autumn, Aki-chan came to the riverside carrying nothing but an insect cage.

I'm definitely going to catch the biggest, shiniest red dragonfly!

Aki-chan is seven years old, a first-grader in elementary school. Yesterday, when she tried to borrow her big brother's long net, it was so heavy that she wobbled. That was when her brother said,

Aki, why don't you try catching one with your hands instead of using a net?

You're just making fun of me because I'm small, aren't you?

Muttering that in her heart, Aki-chan started walking through the grass. She was firmly determined to show her brother.

The babbling of the river sparkled. The autumn breeze brushed her cheeks, and the scent of grass tickled her nose. And then, the red dragonflies. Many red dragonflies were dancing in the sky, shining like jewels in the sunset.

Ah! That's it!

Aki-chan's eyes caught one large red dragonfly. It was a size bigger than the others, and its wings were glittering.

Wait for me!

Aki-chan started running. But the red dragonfly was quick, and every time she reached out, it slipped away. To the right, to the left, up, and down. Aki-chan chased it desperately, but her feet got tangled in the grass, and she fell over.

Ouch, ouch...

She scraped her knee, and her eyes began to well up. But if she cried, she would lose. Aki-chan held back her tears and stood up once more.

At that moment, she noticed a small snail at her feet. Carrying its shell, it was moving slowly, ever so slowly, through the grass.

What a slowpoke.

Aki-chan didn't pay it any mind and started looking for the red dragonfly again.

She tried again and again, but the red dragonfly always escaped. Her knee hurt, she was out of breath, and just when she thought about giving up, it happened.

The large red dragonfly from before landed softly on a blade of grass. But that leaf was higher than Aki-chan's height. Even if she reached out, stood on her tiptoes, or jumped, she couldn't reach it at all.

It's just a little bit more...

Aki-chan approached quietly and tried reaching out. But it still wouldn't reach. There was still a large space between her fingertips and the red dragonfly.

What should I do...

It was the perfect chance. Aki felt so frustrated she was about to cry.

Just then, something caught her eye.

It was the snail from before. It was slowly, ever so slowly, starting to climb up the stem of the leaf where the red dragonfly was perched. With its tiny body, it climbed on, one step at a time, never giving up.

Aki held her breath and watched.

As the snail climbed, the leaf began to bend, just a little bit, very slowly. Perhaps the red dragonfly didn't notice the quiet movement, for it remained perfectly still.

A little more.

Just a little more.

With the snail's tiny weight, the leaf lowered bit by bit, little by little. Along with the leaf, the red dragonfly was also slowly, slowly coming within reach of Aki's hand—

Ah...

Aki gasped.

Even if you're slow, you can do amazing things.

The sight of the tiny snail, never giving up. What its small strength had accomplished. A warm feeling welled up in Aki's chest.

Thank you.

Aki whispered in a small voice and reached out, ever so gently. The red dragonfly remained still, as if it had been waiting for her. Aki's fingertips softly brushed the dragonfly's wings.

The red dragonfly inside the insect cage shimmered beautifully. She had caught it with her hand. Aki stared at it for a while. And then—

Click.

When she opened the lid of the insect cage, the red dragonfly flew off into the sky.

See you later!

Aki-chan waved at the red dragonfly. Then, she also gave a small wave to the snail on the leaf.

When she returned home, her big brother was waiting at the entrance.

"How was it? Were you able to catch one?"

"..."

Aki-chan silently showed him her empty insect cage. The truth was, she just hadn't tried to catch anything. Facing her brother, who had an "I knew it" look on his face, Aki-chan smiled and continued.

"But, you know, I made a really, really small friend! And then, and then..."

Aki-chan happily began to tell the story of the snail and the red dragonfly.

Her brother listened while nodding. And when Aki-chan finished talking, he said,

"My net will be yours when you get a little bigger. It's still too long and heavy for you, Aki. So, I'm sure it's easier to catch them with your hands. I hope you can catch one tomorrow."

"Eh...?"

Aki-chan was startled. Her brother hadn't been making fun of her after all.

Doing something amazing all by yourself isn't the only thing that's amazing. Getting help from someone small is also a wonderful thing. And so is listening properly to what someone else has to say.

This was a story about an autumn day when a small treasure was added to Aki-chan's heart.

(The End)