4 The Firefly Problem

CHAPTER FOUR THE FIREFLY PROBLEM I HOPED THAT the fireflies would get unstuck by school the next day. I knew I should really be thinking about the science fair. But the fireflies didn't get unstuck. "There's something I have to talk to you guys about," I told Rosie and Simon on the way to lunch. "It's important." We hustled through the cafeteria line, got our food fast, and sat at a table by ourselves. For lunch that day we had chicken nuggets, a banana, and a scoop of

mashed potatoes. I like bananas because they're the same color on the outside and the inside. The outside is dark yellow and the inside is light yellow. No problem. I don't like fruits that are one color on the outside but a totally different color on the inside. Like watermelon is green on the outside, but red on the inside. Or apples are red on the outside, but white on the inside. It just doesn't seem very honest. You know what I mean? So I like bananas. I broke mine into eight bite-size

pieces. "Rosie," I said. "Can I ask you something?" "Here it comes," Simon said. "What?" I asked. "Here what comes?" "Simon and I could tell something was bugging

you," Rosie said. "We just figured it was the science fair. I know you're worried about coming up with a project. We are too." I smiled. They knew me so well. Simon asked, "So what is it?"

"It's not the science fair," I answered. "It's fireflies. I want Rosie to tell me everything she knows about them." "First of all, fireflies aren't flies at all," Rosie began. I knew she'd have good information. She's so good at science. That was one reason why we weren't, like, totally panicked about the fair on Friday. We had Rosie on our team. "They're beetles. When they flash their light, that's called bioluminescence." I asked, "What else?" "It's okay to catch fireflies, but you shouldn't keep them for more than a day. And you don't need to poke holes in the jar. Lots of people do that, but you don't have to. You just need to drop something wet in the jar. They like moist air. Their light can be yellow, green, or orange." I took a banana bite and asked, "Why do they flash their light?" "To attract a mate," Rosie answered. "That's what I thought." "Awesome," Simon said. "I've always wanted to learn about the romantic habits of fireflies." "Really?" I asked. "No."

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