Firefly
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Authors
Munver, Sharmil
Issue Date
2020-12-18T00:00:00-08:00
Item Type
Language
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Abstract
Firefly is an 83,000-word strong metaphysical story that takes place on two different worlds and in two different times. The story unfolds from two points of view: Maya Lee the human protagonist, and Ben, the alien main character. Introverted Maya Lee has an ability to command her thoughts to heal her wounds but doesn’t know why. At night, her consciousness travels into another dimension where her emotional experiences come to her in form of colors, which she paints. These emotions guide her art, and when the finished painting resembles places and objects, Maya cannot relate to them. She also suffers from social anxiety. Maya works for Palmieri, the owner of an anti-viral drug company, whom she respects and fears at the same time. She meets Gianni, Palmieri’s supplier, who quickly disarms her and wins her heart. In the face of a looming WWIII, Maya learns her boss’s plans to kill millions with the drug supplied by Gianni’s company. She also finds out that Palmieri and Gianni have been watching her for a long time. What she doesn’t know is that Ben, an alien from the dimension that Maya has been visiting in her sleep, has been watching her too. It is through Ben’s point of view that we understand the life and characters of the other dimensions. In a way, Ben is a witness to the unfolding of Maya’s identity. Firefly explores Maya’s and Ben’s parallel past that sends them on a search on two different worlds. Reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and The Martian by Andy Weir, the two characters, wary of their surroundings, find home wherever they find hope, even if only temporary. Maya’s journey into self-discovery is deeply entrenched with other characters: Gianni a medical drug-maker with a secret past that tells the story about Maya’s life and death; Palmieri, under whose commanding presence Maya shrinks, but who also is fiercely protective of her. When the war becomes imminent and bombs drop within the US borders, Maya is faced with a choice: Live and be killed. Or die and live forever.