Opal and the Night of No Lights
When the power goes out across town, Opal and friends become the neighbourhood’s superheroes.
It was a stormy Tuesday evening, and Opal was about to start dinner when, FLICK! All the lights went out. The fridge stopped humming. The street went dark. ‘A power cut!’ said Opal.
Opal found a torch and looked out of the window. All the houses were dark. Rain drummed on the roof. ‘I wonder if everyone’s okay,’ she said. She thought of Bruno the deer, who lived alone at the end of the road.
Opal phoned Wren and Luca. ‘Let’s be the Night Heroes,’ she said. ‘We’ll check that everyone’s all right.’ They grabbed raincoats and torches, and set off through the puddles.
They knocked on every door. At the first house, a family had run out of candles. Opal gave them one. At the second, a baby was crying in the dark. Wren sang a soft song until the baby calmed down.
At the end of the road, Bruno was sitting in the dark with a blanket. ‘I didn’t want to bother anyone,’ said Bruno. ‘You’re no bother,’ said Opal. ‘Come to the village hall. We’re all gathering there.’
Soon the hall was full of neighbours. There were lanterns made from jam jars everywhere, glowing in every corner, and somebody had a kettle on a camping stove. Everybody sat on blankets. There was a board game and lots of laughing.
Then, with a soft click, the lights flickered back on. But nobody wanted to leave. ‘Switch them off again!’ laughed Luca. And the whole hall went quiet, and looked at the stars through the windows.
On the way home, Opal looked at the lit-up houses. ‘It’s nice having lights,’ she said. ‘But I think the best lights tonight were all of us.’ Bruno squeezed Opal’s hand. ‘Super neighbours,’ he said.
The little lesson
Real superpowers are caring for your neighbours and working together.
Let’s talk about it
- What would you do in a power cut?
- How did the neighbours help each other?
Finish stories to collect Opal as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Superheroes stories
Zane’s Homemade Cape
It’s Cape Day at school, but Zane forgot to bring a cape. Can a hero be a hero without one?
Ben’s Sidekick Who Saved the Day
Captain Otto has a bad cold and can’t use any superpowers. Sidekick Ben has to save the day!
Sam Takes Charge
Captain Zoe has a bad cold and can’t use any superpowers. Sidekick Sam has to save the day!
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