Short Story 686 - The Last Light (QUIZ) (Int)

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Short Story 686 - The Last Light (Intermediate)

The sky was always grey now. Nobody could remember the last time they had seen the sun. Thick clouds hung low over the silent city, and the tall buildings stood like black teeth against the endless gloom. Streetlights buzzed weakly, their glow pale and tired.

Maya walked quickly through the empty streets, holding her coat tightly around her. She had just finished her shift at the Power Centre, where she helped check the city’s last working energy towers. Everyone depended on those towers. Without them, the little light they still had would disappear.

People no longer lived in houses. Everyone stayed in crowded towers with no windows. Windows were dangerous — they let in the cold wind and the poisonous rain. At night, the sound of the wind screamed through the broken streets, and people whispered stories about the time when the world had been warm and bright.

Maya had grown up hearing those stories. Her grandmother used to tell her about the sun — a golden ball in the sky that gave light and warmth. Maya had never seen it. But she liked to imagine what it would look like.

That evening, as she reached the Power Centre, she noticed something strange. One of the towers was flickering. The light at the top blinked on and off like a tired heartbeat. If the tower failed, the whole city could fall into darkness.

She climbed the metal stairs as fast as she could. The wind pulled at her coat, and the air tasted like metal. Inside the control room, she found an old machine flashing red. “SYSTEM ENDING,” the screen said.

She pressed every button she knew, but nothing worked. The city’s power was dying. She took a deep breath. She remembered a story her grandmother had told her — about an emergency switch that could restart the power for a short time. Nobody had ever seen it, but Maya believed it must be real.

She ran down to the bottom of the tower, past broken pipes and piles of rust. There, half-covered in dust, she saw a red lever. Her heart raced. She pulled it down with all her strength.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the lights around the city began to grow brighter. The grey clouds above seemed to thin, just a little, and a pale yellow glow touched the sky. People opened their doors and came outside, faces lit by something they had not felt in years — hope.

Maya stood at the base of the tower, breathing hard, looking up at the light. She knew the power would not last forever. But she also knew that she had given the city a chance. Maybe tomorrow they could build something new.

For the first time in her life, Maya smiled in the light....

Story written by ChatGPT AI.

Image created by ChatGPT AI.

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