I’m at odds with myself as to the true nature of the object and the vainglorious offender’s identity.

The first paragraph was nicely done.

A kid with a flashlight? It’s a fun continuation of tragedy, as odd as that sounds. I was about to correct your biology, since I thought just male fireflies did the glowing to attract a mate. As it turns out, the glowing and flashing is a two way communication, so you’re right, allowing for sufficient sentience in your anthropomorphised bug to fight instinct and pursue a novel mating partner.

Ooh, I’m feeling geeky today.

To zxvasdf, some kids will smear fireflies on themselves, because the material inside the firefly’s body will continue to glow for a little after the firefly dies.

To the author of many names, I like the dark humor in this story.