The fireflies had arrived, just as my father said they would, and I watched them with my dry lips parted in wonder, my palms sliding expectantly on the lap of my dress. I felt like running and greeting them, but they joined me instead. Dozens of tiny blinks materialized, floating. "I'm Jeliza-Rose," I said, bouncing on my crossed legs. "Hello." Their flickers indicated understanding: The more I spoke, the more they blinked—or so I believed. In vain I reached out, attempting to snatch the nearest one, but when I unclenched my fist there was nothing to be seen. After several failed captures, I made myself content by simply naming the fireflies as they flashed. "You're Michael. You're Ann. Are you Michael again? No, wait, you're Barbie. And that's Chris. There's Michael." Then the fireflies were gone, having been whisked afield by the wind. I glanced in the direction of the old house, wondering if my father was in the living room, quiet and awaiting my return. adapted from Tideland by Mitch Cullin 7 What effect does limiting the point of view to the narrator have on the story?

It seems clear that the narrator wants to delay returning to the house, though you do not get that until the end of the paragraph. At first, it seems like a fanciful span of time for the young girl, or it seems like a young girl, naming fireflies and talking to them. And that sparks the imagination and builds a mental image of the scene and the actions involved.

Then, she turns her attention to the house, and wonders about her father. Was he still there? Was he waiting for her? I am drawn to the conclusion that her earlier behavior was done, as a way to avoid the real issue, of dealing with whatever awaited her in an interaction with her father.

As a first-person point of view, of the narrator, the reader is invited to enter into the mind of the narrator. Once there, it is as if the reader is living the scene. One can see the dark night, feel the wind, and realize it is time to get a drink of water, in the house, where her father is. I actually licked my own parched lips while reading the story.