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.

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Vocabulary Notes

Flicker (verb)
Meaning: To shine or burn with a quick, unsteady light.
In the story: “One of the towers was flickering.”
Example sentence: The candle flickered in the cold wind.
Similar words: blink, flash, shimmer, sparkle.
Tip: “Flicker” can also describe something weak or uncertain — like “a flicker of hope.”

Gloom (noun)
Meaning: A state of darkness, sadness, or lack of light.
In the story: “…stood like black teeth against the endless gloom.”
Example sentence: The old house was full of gloom after sunset.
Similar words: darkness, shadow, murk, dimness.
Tip: “Gloom” can also describe a sad or hopeless feeling — e.g. “The news filled the room with gloom.”

Crowded (adjective)
Meaning: Full of too many people or things in a small space.
In the story: “Everyone stayed in crowded towers with no windows.”
Example sentence: The train was so crowded that I couldn’t move.
Similar words: packed, busy, jammed, full.
Tip: “Crowded” often has a negative feeling — uncomfortable or lacking space.

Poisonous (adjective)
Meaning: Containing or producing something harmful or deadly.
In the story: “…they let in the cold wind and the poisonous rain.”
Example sentence: Some mushrooms are poisonous, so you must be careful.
Similar words: toxic, dangerous, harmful, deadly.
Tip: “Poisonous” can describe things in nature, chemicals, or even air or water.

Lever (noun)
Meaning: A handle or bar that you push or pull to make a machine work.
In the story: “She saw a red lever. Her heart raced. She pulled it down with all her strength.”
Example sentence: The engineer pulled the lever to stop the machine.
Similar words: handle, switch, control, bar.
Tip: Levers are common in mechanical systems. Pulling or pushing them usually starts or stops something.

I am going to try something different today… A multiple-choice quiz about different things from the story, see how you get on. Answers are at the end, DON’T CHEAT!

Quiz

According to the story, why did people no longer live in houses with windows?

A. To conserve the city’s limited energy.

B. To protect themselves from the cold wind and poisonous rain.

C. To avoid hearing the screaming sound of the wind.

D. Because there was no sunlight to see outside.

Hint: Consider the environmental dangers described in the third paragraph of the story.

What was Maya’s primary role at the Power Centre?

A. To operate the emergency power lever.

B. To repair broken pipes and rusted equipment.

C. To tell stories about the sun to keep morale high.

D. To check and monitor the city’s energy towers.

Hint: Think about what the text says Maya had just finished doing at the beginning of the story.

What inspired Maya to search for the red lever at the bottom of the tower?

A. It was part of her standard emergency training.

B. She saw a diagram for it in the control room.

C. A story her grandmother had told her.

D. She found it by accident while running from the wind.

Hint: Recall where Maya got her knowledge about the world before the gloom.

Based on the vocabulary notes and the story’s context, a ‘flicker of hope’ would most likely mean:

A. A small, uncertain sign that things might get better.

B. A quick flash of anger or frustration.

C. A strong and confident belief in success.

D. The final moment before all hope is lost.

Hint: The vocabulary notes provide a tip on how the word ‘flicker’ can be used to describe more than just light.

What was the immediate effect of Maya pulling the red lever?

A. The sun immediately appeared through the clouds.

B. The tower she was in collapsed from the power surge.

C. The screen in the control room changed to ‘SYSTEM RESTARTING’.

D. The city’s lights grew brighter and a glow appeared in the sky.

Hint: Focus on the paragraph that describes what happened right after she pulled the lever with all her strength.

Which word from the vocabulary list best describes the feeling of the ‘endless gloom’ mentioned in the story?

A. Poisonous

B. Crowded

C. Lever

D. Murk

Hint: Review the ‘Similar words’ section in the vocabulary notes for the word ‘Gloom’.

Answers:
B, D, C, A, D, D

Story written by ChatGPT AI.

Image created by ChatGPT AI.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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