I learned something about fireflies that I never knew before. I found out that they have a lot in common with the female members of the human race. At least the way women were before Women's Lib came along.

Female fireflies either have tiny wings or no wings at all. The female waits around for the male to flash his lights and the female returns the gesture. This is how fireflies mate. Male fireflies fly at such an angle to permit females to detect their signals from great distances. Sound familiar?

There are approximately one thousand species of fireflies in existence. Each species has their own unique style of signaling that is recognized by other members of that species. There is also uniqueness in the timing of the signals. It reminds me of the way men and women from different countries participate in romantic encounters. Maybe one day a couple of females fireflies will get together and start a rebellion, and maybe the conversation will go something like this:

"Hannah, what do you say we stop flashing every time a guy lights up just to get our attention? What if we just ignore them and let them flash until they wear themselves out? I'm tired of being at their beck and call."

"Sheila, what are you saying? How will we reproduce? What will become of us?"

"Don't worry, you'll see. They'll come to us and want to know what's going on."

"Well, what will we tell them? Do you have something in mind?"

"Glad you asked. I say we tell them that we're tired of being the ones to hang around and wait for them to show us a good time. We tell them that we either get to flash first, or we don't mate anymore."

"Roryann, there's a flaw in your plan. You and I can't travel far with these tiny wings of ours. We won't be able to go too far to find our perfect mate."

"Well, Hannah, I've got that covered, too. I spoke to a friend of mine from England, who told me that there is a doctor who makes wing enlargements. And I hear he's quite good."

"Roryann, you don't mean…?"

"Yes, I certainly do. We can have wings the same size as the men. What do you say, Hannah, are you in?"

"I don't know, it sounds a little risky. Are there any side effects involved with the procedure?

"I don't think so, but the rewards will be well worth any side effects we may experience, don't you think? Aren't you tired of waiting around for someone else to show you a good time? Wouldn't you want the freedom to roam the countryside, flashing whenever you feel like it? No more Saturday nights, going home without a date because no one flashed at you!"

"I suppose you're right. It would be very different from what we're used to. Okay, I'm in."

Weeks later, the girls return from England, their operations a complete success. They venture out on a Saturday night. After a while, a group of males hover close by.

"Here come a couple of them now, Roryann. What do we do?"

"Hannah, honey, we don't do a thing. Hurry up and turn around, act like nothing is going on.. Look at them flashing away.

Roryann turns around and Hannah does the same.

"Oh, Rorya-a-a-n-n-!"

© 1999 muldrake