The Magic Light
Author: Karen Lewis(website)
Illustrator: Kelly Dorman
Ella the Duck first noticed the light when she was swimming along by the river bank. It moved slowly for a while, then suddenly picked up speed and disappeared. What on earth could it be, she wondered? It was quite unlike anything she had ever seen before.
The next night around the same time it appeared again. Ella watched it for a while, then unable to contain her curiosity any longer got out of the water to get a closer look.
But by the time she waddled across the road, it had gone.
Aggie thought about this for a while as she groomed her feathers. "Well then, it must have been someone carrying a torch. It's dark over there by the trees."
"No, it wasn't a torch either," answered Ella. "It was smaller than a torch beam."
"So this was a really tiny light," said Aggie. She was beginning to get impatient.
Ella nodded, and said that she thought it might be magic.
"Oh, nonsense," retorted Aggie. "There's no such thing. At least, I don't think there is."
The following night, Ella hid in the bushes close to where she had seen the odd light. She had to find out what it was. But although she waited patiently for a very long time, it didn't appear.
"Where have you been?" asked Aggie. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Waiting to catch the light," answered Ella. She was feeling chilly and quite discouraged.
"I think I have the answer to what it is," said Aggie, and she honked in excitement. "It's a glow-worm."
"A glow-worm," repeated Ella. "No it isn't." For she knew that glow-worms were very tiny and white. The light she had seen - her light - was bigger than that and red.
"Well, why didn't you tell me this before," scolded Aggie. "So we're talking here about a small red light that's tinier than a torch beam."
Ella nodded. "Sometimes it moves slowly, and other times it just flies along." In fact, once it had actually stopped and she had almost caught it.
"Look, are you sure you're not just imagining the whole thing?" asked Aggie. For try as she might, she was unable to think what a light like that could be.
"Of course not," quacked Ella. She was very miffed about being accused of "seeing thing." Things that were not there, that is. She would have to prove to Aggie that the mysterious light was real. And the only way to do that was to wait over by the trees, until it showed up again. She had to find out what it was.
Ella lay in wait for the light every night for a week, with no luck. And she was just about to give up - could she have been imagining it? - when it suddenly re-appeared. Ella's heart thumped in excitement, and she waddled after it as fast as she could.
"Hello there Ella, what are you doing out so late?" It was Horace the bulldog going for his nightly walk. And the light, the little red light that Ella had been pursuing for so long was shining from his collar.
"Oh it helps me see in the dark," he explained. "My eyesight's not as good as it once was, and it saves me from getting hit by a car or a bicycle."
"Good idea," agreed Ella. She was delighted that the mystery of the odd little light had been solved at last. And, she could hardly wait to get home and tell Aggie the news. Imagining things, indeed. She would certainly expect an apology.
THE END
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