Close to the stretch of mountains resided the town of Solie, whose irrigation system would snake across the land to the different bodies of water nearby. Emm took a liking to this puzzle and quickly became one of the few trusted with perfecting their water management system over the years. While the people of the town lived a quiet and reserved life, the extravagant designs of the canals, which could be observed from the top of the mountain, spoke loudly and unmistakably. Emm took pride in the spectacle, though that was merely a byproduct of her efforts. She made the usual routine of traversing the countryside and observing the different bodies of water that they had close proximity to. One lake in particular, she would always pass by thinking nothing of it.

Unknown to Emm or anyone else, occasionally on any given morning just before sunrise, a family of Ladybugs would descend and surround the perimeter of the lake taking in all that it had to offer. They had recently woken up from a century long hibernation right around the time Emm began exploring the land they would wander. Securing the water’s edge, they would stay long enough to take in its minerals, but not so long as to be revealed by the sun, for being revealed in this grand manner to other creatures could prove to be devastating. On this particular morning, they gathered but were in no rush to leave as the great rainfall of the previous day had reinvigorated the lake’s offerings and the clouds offered a protective blanket.

Journeying through the land, Emm came on the lake and attributed the buzzing chatter to nothing more than nature's song. There wasn't a single rustle of leaves, nor a distant bird call, but a glow around the lake. Almost completely overlooking it at first, Emm was stunned when she glanced over again and saw the tribe of ladybugs hovering and swaying as one. Getting closer, the buzzing grew louder, but before they could meet this interloper, she retreated. She ran to her friends and family with excitement in hopes of introducing them to this spectacle. Returning to the same lake though, they found dragonflies and gnats and looked at Emm with annoyance instead of joy. Where Emm boasted of bright red spots that adorned the lake, they saw silt. The ladybugs had long left as one and left only the sounds of wind and trees.

And so passed on the months and years where they would come before sunrise to the lake and Emm would return in search of them. They began to linger around the lake for longer than the morn and becoming accustomed to the presence of other land creatures they seemed to know exactly when they weren't being sought. They sensed when they were being called for and when they were being ignored, scurrying when being searched for but content with being unsuspectingly greeted. These moments of surprise were when their chatter was most high. And watching Emm pass around the lake on one particular day as she paid no mind, they began to tempt her with their song. The unison was familiar. And taken aback by their reappearance, Emm approached them, but this time in hopes of bringing some back as proof. But as she reached further, their soothing buzz turned sour. Cupping a mound of them in her palms, Emm ran with joy to reveal her palms but showed nothing. Empty handed and embarrassed, Emm didn't disclose what she was carrying to the others. The lake saw her steps return shortly after, but now without the ladybugs to spectate.

Thinking that what the ladybugs wanted was a formal welcome, Emm began developing a plan to give them a direct route to the town by connecting the lake with a path that would wind all the way through the land and join the existing irrigation system. Though many in the town remained skeptical and warned her of the dangers that connecting a new water source could create, she continued on with her efforts in search of the group of ladybugs. Emm poured her days and nights into this addition, hopeful of what would come. Once finished, the new addition intertwined with their system well.

The usual quiet of one night was broken by distant thunder that steadily grew closer, louder, and more ominous. The ladybugs came to the lake early but were unusually rigid in their movements. The clouds announced a storm, which was not out of the norm. But as the rains pelted down, the water system began to flood. The link to the lake brought in far more water than the system was originally designed to contain. The trees swayed like never before and within an instant everyone was looking around for help. They searched for Emm knowing that she must know what to do. Emm had never seen such quick flooding. Out of worry, she made her way with great difficulty to the lake where she saw the water rushing out and the last of the ladybugs scrambling to safety. Overwhelmed with the chaos, there was nothing more to do than to wait it out. The responsibility fell to Emm but no one cared to hear why she wanted to link the lake, or give any thought to ladybugs during such a torrent. The flooding damaged many homes and she was regarded differently by the people who had once marveled at her work.

Emm grew lonesome and felt betrayed by the ladybugs. She stopped trying to convince others that they existed and wanted nothing to do with them.In truth, there was an emptiness in Emm for failing to engage them but she knew of no other way to channel her emotions outside of anger and resentment. She worked at tearing down the causeway she had created and lost any reason to pass the lake.

Though Emm put little thought into the ladybugs, they thought differently. One morning when Emm found herself traveling through the land she heard an old hum and she reluctantly followed the sound that led her back to the lake. They surrounded the lake as usual and Emm, being unsure of how to receive their reappearance, just sat there with them. She tried to just be in their presence, and let go of her plans for the day. The ladybugs alighted on the lake briefly, arranging themselves in a beautifully intricate pattern on the surface of the lake that reflected the canals. But they also created formations and designs from places unfamiliar to Emm. .

Emm couldn't help but smile and enjoy the rest of her time with them. She was content with them now; more, she was content to know that they existed and shared her love of water. She learned to put her tasks on hold and save time for the ladybugs who were happy to see her. She felt guided by the patterns she saw in how they traced on the lake’s surface. When questioned as to why she began spending more time out and about she would just smirk and say that she just wanted to enjoy the buzz of the land.