The Night the Lights Went Out (title confirmed by Jeremy)

1Parade night

Spread 1 — parade night: golden dusk, the banner high, Pickle's practice stomp, and Mabel writing the route at her crate desk.

The last night of the fair was parade night.

Every kid carried a light.

Lulu glowed. Shep carried his lantern. Junebug's paper lantern swung on a string.

Tinker carried his tools — just in case.

Pickle stomped a practice stomp, and Bram held the banner high.

Mabel wrote the route in pencil letters:

Fairgrounds. Junction Street. The library steps. The creek stone. Home to the Meeting Tree.

2The sky changes its mind

Spread 2 — the sky changes its mind: wind one way, seven faces up, Shep in the foreground as the lights tremble.

Then the wind stood up.

Flags snapped. The Ferris wheel creaked… and stopped.

Far off, thunder muttered.

Then closer.

Shep's ears went flat. "That is a loud sky," he said.

The fairground lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

3Out

Spread 3 — out: one small heart of light in the warm dark, six rim-lit faces, and Pickle rolled tight with two boot tips showing.

WHOOMPH.

Dark.

Not night-dark. Fair-dark — a whole crowd sitting in it, and no lights anywhere.

Well. Almost no lights.

Lulu glowed — one small, surprised candle.

Thunder CRACKED — and Pickle rolled up tight as a pinecone.

From the black came Mayor Goodwin's voice: "Parade's off, folks! See you next year!"

4Tinker climbs

Spread 4 — Tinker climbs: knees knocking at the fuse box, Bram braced like a building, and a snapped pole on the horizon.

"The fair fuse," said Tinker. "I can check the fair fuse."

Bram planted both hooves on the ladder. "Ladder's steady. I've got it."

Up went Tinker. One rung. One rung. One—

His knees knocked. He checked anyway.

"It's not the fuse," he called down. "A pole's down, clear up the road. This dark is bigger than my toolbox."

5Forward anyway

Spread 5 — forward anyway: the circle stands, lanterns rise, and Lulu's heart burns a fraction steadier at face level.

"The little kids made their lanterns at the library," said Junebug. "They were counting on tonight."

Lulu looked at her glow. "I'm not big enough to light a whole parade."

"One light," said Shep, "is enough to see the next step."

Lulu took a breath. "Scared is okay…" she whispered.

"…Forward anyway," said Shep.

"Forward anyway," said everybody — like a promise with shaky knees.

6The list blows away

Spread 6 — the list blows away: one white sheet gone over the rooftops, and Mabel rewriting the route on her scorecard in the huddle.

Down Junction Street, the wind found Mabel's list.

WHOOSH — gone, up over the rooftops.

"My route!" squeaked Mabel. "Now we'll get lost!"

Seven lanterns made a circle against the wind.

"You wrote it in your heart first," said Pickle.

So Mabel wrote it again — on her scorecard, by Lulu-light.

"Fairgrounds." Tick. "Done that part."

7The creek stone

Spread 7 — the creek stone: Bram in the current, Shep's lantern on the far bank, and Junebug mid-stone, chin up and grinning.

The creek was loud in the dark.

Junebug's lantern shook. "It sounds… bigger at night."

"One at a time," said Bram. "Big as a bridge, remember?"

He stepped in and stood in the splashing middle.

Shep waited on the far stone: "Next step's dry!"

One by one they crossed — boots, hooves, paws, bare mouse feet —

and Junebug came last, chin up, humming.

8The loudest one

Spread 8 — the loudest one: seven frozen shapes on the hill, Shep counting at the still center, the Meeting Tree one hill away.

The sky saved its loudest.

CRACK—BOOM!

Everybody froze.

Pickle rolled up tight.

Shep stopped. He got still. He listened.

"Count with me," he said. "One… two… three…"

"It's going away," said Junebug.

And in the last lightning flash, there it was —

the Meeting Tree, one hill away.

9The parade, smaller and braver

Spread 9 — the parade, smaller and braver: light shared on the library steps, candles in the windows, and the whole line singing.

They came down Junction Street the parade way, singing a little.

Windows lit up as they passed.

Dottie clapped the time from the diner steps, and Grandma waved from her porch.

On the library steps, the little kids waited with empty lanterns — so the parade stopped, and shared its light, until the steps shone.

"Scared is okay!" sang the whole line — big kids and little kids together. "Forward anyway!"

10One hill left

Spread 10 — one hill left: the banner sags, Pickle talks expert, and Bram lifts it higher, laughing in the dark.

One hill left, and the banner was heavy.

Bram's hooves slowed. "What if I drop it?" he said, quiet. "In front of… everybody."

"Then we pick it up," said Lulu. "Like Pickle."

"Up again. Dust off," said Pickle. "That's the whole trick. I'm an expert."

Bram laughed, right there in the dark.

He lifted the banner higher.

11The tree gets its lights

Spread 11 — the tree gets its lights: lanterns at seven heights, Shep on Bram's back for the last one, and Mabel reading the whole route aloud.

They hung their lanterns in the low branches of the Meeting Tree.

Mabel read her list out loud:

"Fairgrounds. Junction Street. Library steps. Creek stone. Meeting Tree."

"Every stop," she said, ticking them off. "We did the whole route."

Pickle stomped one careful stomp on the tree's big root — not too big, not too loud.

Just right.

12Nobody looked up

Spread 12 — nobody looked up: the ring at rest under the lantern-hung tree, the moon out — and one far bulb blinking back on, unnoticed.

The storm was done being a storm. The moon came out like it had been watching.

Under the tree, everybody sat in a ring of lantern light.

"Best parade ever," said the little kids.

"Smallest parade ever," said Bram.

"Scared is okay," said everybody — soft as a lullaby. "Forward anyway."

Far away, one bulb flickered back on —

blink… blink…

Nobody looked up.