A soft breeze swept through the night, bringing a welcomed warmth that was expected of July. Darkness had already settled in the sky, the only light illuminated from the moon and scattered stars. It was on this night that family and friends gathered on the damp grass to honor a life taken too soon.

With the swipe of a thumb, the lighter sparked to life. Its flame flickering and swaying with the breeze as it drew closer to me. I played with the thin paper, crinkling it between my fingers, as the flame began to lick the wax paper. My sister stood across from me, she too was grasping the same red paper. I watched as the flame engulfed the wax, emitting an orange halo over her youthful face. As each moment passed, the fire burned brightly until the heat caused the lantern to hover lightly over our fingertips. I stood on my tiptoes, giving the lantern a gentle nudge towards the sky.

My eyes flitted upwards towards. The once dull sky now glowed a bright red and it was beautiful. Childhood memories of catching fireflies, on this same grass, resurfaced. I watched as our lantern, our firefly, flew away.
For a moment, the sadness the day brought lifted away with the lanterns. And the moment was bittersweet.