Itu bukan lampu

Huzaifah was the first among the boys to fall asleep last night.

I shut down all the lights in the room, hoping that it would be easier to lull both Humaidi and baby Haniyya to sleep in the dark.

But no, both of them kept jumping on the bed.
I tried patting baby Haniyya.
He eagerly shook me in response - a clear sign that he wanted to play, not sleep.
I tried cajoling Humaidi - chanting La ilaha illallah and singing.
He only jumped more vigorously.
After a while, I let them be.
Normally, after a while (which could take up to a couple of hours sometimes) they would get tired of all the jumping and shaking and go to sleep by themselves in the darkened room.

All of a sudden both of them went quiet.
Really quiet.
By then, I was already half-awake-half-asleep.
I opened my eye to check on them - hoping that they had both gone to sleep.
No such luck.

Hah!
There was a firefly in our room.
And both brothers were watching intently.
Apparently fascinated by the teeny, tiny bug which produced the twinkling light.
I was fascinated too - by how quiet my boys suddenly were.

"Lamppuuu," Humaidi pointed out at the single firefly, flying all over the room, as if looking for a way out.
"Tak, itu bukan lampu. Itu kelip-kelip," I corrected him.

"Lampu! Lampu!" Humaidi repeated.
And resumed jumping - this time while pointing at the firefly in wonder.
It made me smile.
Haniyya joined in his excitement - once again shaking me while making "ooh ooh ooh" sounds, while he too kept turning his head in the direction of where the firefly was flying.
Made me smile even wider.
Funny how the cause of mild irritation turned into something very pleasant in just a few minutes.

For a short while - when there was peace and quiet,
it certainly felt like we were witnessing the eight wonder of the world.
Never mind that it was caused by a single firefly, in a dark bedroom and not by a colony of fireflies down a stream in a dark night...
Subhanallah!