Yusuf’s Day the Lights Went Out
When the power goes out across town, Yusuf and friends become the neighbourhood’s superheroes.
It was a stormy Tuesday evening, and Yusuf was about to start dinner when, FLICK! All the lights went out. The fridge stopped humming. The street went dark. ‘A power cut!’ said Yusuf.
Yusuf 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,’ he said. He thought of Enzo the elephant, who lived alone at the end of the road.
Yusuf phoned Ravi and Sam. ‘Let’s be the Night Heroes,’ he 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. Yusuf gave them one. At the second, a baby was crying in the dark. Ravi sang a soft song until the baby calmed down.
At the end of the road, Enzo was sitting in the dark with a blanket. ‘I didn’t want to bother anyone,’ said Enzo. ‘You’re no bother,’ said Yusuf. ‘Come to the village hall. We’re all gathering there.’
Soon the hall was full of neighbours. There were candles in paper bags everywhere, glowing in every corner, and somebody had a kettle on a camping stove. Everybody sat on blankets. There was a star-spotting 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 Sam. And the whole hall went quiet, and looked at the stars through the windows.
On the way home, Yusuf looked at the lit-up houses. ‘It’s nice having lights,’ he said. ‘But I think the best lights tonight were all of us.’ Enzo squeezed Yusuf’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 Yusuf as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Superheroes stories
Wren’s Homemade Cape
It’s Cape Day at school, but Wren forgot to bring a cape. Can a hero be a hero without one?
Mia, the Smallest Superhero
All the big superheroes are too big to fit. But Mia is just the right size!
Tilly and the Super Neighbours
When the power goes out across town, Tilly and friends become the neighbourhood’s superheroes.
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