Summary

Chapter 1 opens with Melody Brooks sitting on the patio of her neighbor's house. Melody has cerebral palsy. She has limited control of her muscles. She cannot eat, speak, or walk without help. A firefly lands on Melody's hand. She wills her muscles to remain still as she wonders what the firefly thinks. She feels the blinking light is a message because she knows a lot “about speaking out loud without saying a word” (1).

In Chapter 2, Melody's four-year-old sister Penny is chasing fireflies around Mrs. V's yard. Melody imagines the fireflies are laughing as they stay away from Penny. She asks Mrs. V for help. Mrs. V, who is Violet Valencia, is best friends with Melody and Penny's mom, Diane. Mrs. V urges Penny to imagine what it would be like to be captured in a jar. Penny agrees to catch a few fireflies...