[Spectrum R3] 5. Night Lights - Hojin

There were lights flashing outside. No matter what I did, I could see those lights. I couldn’t figure out what they were, so I started worrying.

I turned away from the window and closed my eyes. But then I had
to open them, just a crack, to see
if the lights were still there. Flash-flash, off, flash!

I rolled toward the window and watched. Maybe I could figure it out. I started listing things. Car lights? Not bright enough. Police car flashers? Not blue and red enough. Spaceships? Not likely. All right, this is really bugging me. I have to go ask Mom, I finally concluded.

I padded downstairs where my mom was reading a magazine. She was a little surprised to see me.

“The lights are flashing upstairs,” I said.

“They are?” She said it with that “this is a great excuse for being out of bed” look on her face.

“I can’t figure out what it is,” I continued, hoping for some comfort. To my relief, she put down her magazine and steered me back upstairs.

We laid across my bed on our stomachs and watched out the window. Mom knew right away.

“Mikki, do you remember driving up to visit Uncle Walt last month?” she asked. I nodded. “Do you remember how long it took?” I nodded again. “Well, Uncle Walt is having a thunderstorm way up north where his house is. The lightning is sort of shining off the clouds, so we can see the flashing down here, even though the storm is far away from us.”

“Oh,” I said. I thought to myself, Well, that makes sense. After all, what else causes lights to flash in the sky? Aliens? Not likely.