“Where Stars Go When They Fall”

The boys power out in the morning to round up as many as they can. Grandpa says when the family first started collectin’ ’em, we had to make the nets smaller ’cause the mesh was too loose and the littler ones kept slippin’ through the holes. Even now there’s times when they can’t  scoop ’em all, so mostly we use the regular nets and leave the tiny ones be.

I can’t get over how small they really are, they look so big sparklin’ on the water. They make a big splash in the night, too; you can hear the smack! when they land. You’d think a big smack and a wincin’ light would make for a bigger critter but it ain’t always so. Pa says the water makes ’em sparkle bigger and I reckon he’s right ’cause there’s never one so big that I can’t hold it in my hands. I need both, sometimes, and there’s others that’ll fit two or three in my palm.

They’re sure purty, though. I keep a box of ’em in my room and sometimes I’ll sprinkle some in the tub and turn out the light so I can take a bath in the night sky.