Yessie Mosby tells a story from the Torres Strait about Zagu and the fireflies. The story is as old as the oldest star in the sky and Zagu is a young boy of the sea who loves to play, dance, sing and be free like a dolphin.

Yessie Mosby

he/him

Storyteller

Kulkalgal

Yessie Mosby is from Masig (Yorke Island) and belongs to the Kulkalgal people in Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands and surrounding seas). Yessie is one of the #TorresStrait8 claimants campaigning for climate action with Our Islands Our Home. He grew up immersed in culture and telling old stories by the warmth of the campfire.

In the blue waters, swims a young dolphin. Young, free, blowing bubbles to the surface. Has his color of black, white and grey. Beautifying the surrounding of the underwater heaven. Relax, and feel free. Feel free, in the comfort of your bed. When you're comfortable, allow yourself to relax And release all your worries away. Breathe. Breathe. Be free like a dolphin. Let me take you back into time of the creations, as this story is as old as the oldest star in the sky. This story comes from the Torres Strait. It is about Zagu in the fireflies. Zagu was a little young, handsome boy. He loves to play, he loves to sing. The only thing was, that Zagu was a boy of the sea. He lived under the ocean. But when night approaches, Zagu had the opportunity to go walk on the islands. He loved walking in through the forest. He made friends of all sorts. He met frogs. He met lizards. But out of all, he loved watching the fireflies as they danced in the night sky from branches to branches, lighting up the night sky as they sing songs of love. Zagu, the little boy, was in awe. He loved every single thing about it. Zagu would love to follow them. As each night passes, Zagu will follow them and learn their song of love. One night came to be, Zagu went back into the ocean. Zagu had a dream. He dreamt that a really, really old sea creature told him, if you want to be one of the fireflies, you go up to the island on a full moon's night, and you find this plant and drink its nectar. As you drink it you wish of what you want to be. Zagu woke up happily, very excited, couldn't wait for that evening to come. As the sun set, the moonrise. Zagu went into the forest and to his surprise he found the plant. He drank the nectar under the moonlight. He was walking around, wondering, when will he turn into these beautiful fireflies. Nothing happened. Zagu went down to the shoreline, sat on the beach, wondering if that dream was true. Zagu stood up. Zagu went back into the water, very depressed. When Zagu put his foot into the water, he was surprised to see blue lights streaking from his foot. He put his second foot into the water. He started to turn blue. Zagu ran on the shorelines, spraying blue lights everywhere. He was so happy. He seen turtles. He swam towards the turtles. The dugongs, the sharks, the fishes, everything he seen he touched, and they all played. These beautiful blue lights running off their bodies. Zago found out after that, he can never be the fireflies in the forest, but he can be the blue fireflies of the ocean. In our language, Zagu is the blue lights which you see at night in the water. If you do have the opportunity, splash around in the water and see Zagu dancing. Breathe. Breathe. Be free like Zagu.

Series 2

Learning Kit

A collection of mindful stories from First Nations storytellers, inviting you to bask in the present moment and listen deeply to your surroundings. While the stories are contemporary, they bring an age-old practice of oral storytelling into the digital space. At the same time, the stories beautifully encapsulate the relationship between First Nations people and Country.