The Night Scientist

Dr. Luna Light adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses and stepped onto the floating dock. The Moonlight Ocean stretched before her, its surface calm under the silver moon. Her fluffy red hair caught the gentle breeze as she opened her research kit.

"Perfect conditions for studying bioluminescence," she murmured, pulling out her underwater viewer.

She peered through the glass portal into the dark water below. Normally, the ocean would sparkle with thousands of glowing fish, like stars fallen into the sea. But tonight, something felt different.

Luna frowned. A few fish flickered weakly in the distance, their usual bright blue glow barely visible. She counted only seven glowing creatures where she should see hundreds.

"That's odd," she said, pushing her glasses up her nose.

The Cricket's Warning

Luna pulled out her underwater phone and called the Marine Research Station. "Hello, this is Dr. Light. I need to report unusual bioluminescence activity in Moonlight Ocean."

"Sorry, Dr. Light," came the voice through her waterproof speaker. "Our systems show everything is normal. Are you sure?"

Luna looked at her readings again. The numbers didn't match what she was seeing.

A small cricket hopped onto her research kit. It chirped three times, then pointed with one tiny leg toward the deeper water.

"That's strange," Luna said, watching the cricket. "Crickets don't usually come near the ocean."

The cricket chirped again, more urgently this time. It seemed to be trying to tell her something important.

Suddenly, all the remaining glowing fish disappeared completely. The ocean went dark.