Green Means Go

Chapter 1: The Light That Wouldn't Listen

The red light hung over the empty avenue, and ⟨Character 1⟩'s car sat under it, engine ticking.

⟨Character 1⟩: “Come on. Turn. I’ve been sitting here for three minutes. Three minutes I could have spent eating that biryani.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “It’s not even a real red. It’s a lazy red. I can tell.” He eyed the foil container on the passenger seat. “You’re getting cold, and I’m getting crankier. That’s not a good combination.”

A stray dog trotted out of the shadows, barked once, and sat down under the light, tail sweeping the asphalt.

⟨Character 1⟩: “Great. Now there’s a dog judging me. What do you want, buddy? I don’t have anything for you except cold rice and a bad attitude.”

The dog just wagged its tail and looked up at the light, then back at ⟨Character 1⟩, as if waiting.

⟨Character 1⟩: “Fine. I’ll get out. Stretch my legs. See what’s wrong with this stupid box of lights.” He opened the door. “But I’m not sharing my food.”

He walked to the pole and found a girl standing there, one hand on the metal, whispering. She wore a faded jacket and sneakers that had seen better days. The dog sat beside her.

Lila: “Shh. I’m talking to it. It’s a little stubborn, but it’s listening.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Talking to a traffic light. Sure. And I’m the King of England. Look, kid, it’s just a machine. It doesn’t have feelings.”

Lila: “It does. You just have to ask nicely. Like this.” She leaned close to the pole. “Excuse me, could you please turn green? I need to get home, and this man needs his dinner.”

The light clicked and turned green.

⟨Character 1⟩: “How did you do that? Is there a app? A remote? Because that’s not possible.”

Lila: “I just asked. It’s not that hard. Most lights are friendly. This one’s just tired. It’s been on red for hours.”

An ambulance pulled up, siren off, and the driver leaned out.

Ambulance Driver: “Hey, my GPS is dead. I’ve got a patient going to St. Mary’s, and I’m lost. Can you tell me how to get to the hospital from here?”

Lila: “The light says you’re not the only one who’s lost. It says there’s an ambulance that needs help. That’s you, right?”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Wait, the light told you that? Lights don’t talk. They just change colors. That’s their whole thing.”

Ambulance Driver: “She’s right. My GPS went out a mile back. I’ve been driving in circles. If you know the way, I could use a guide.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “This is insane. I’m not a taxi. I just want to go home and eat my biryani.”

Lila: “Please? I can talk to the lights. I can get them all green. But I need someone to drive. I’m too short to reach the pedals.”

⟨Character 1⟩ looked at the girl, then at the ambulance, then at the cold biryani on his seat. He sighed.

⟨Character 1⟩: “Fine. Get in. But you’re not touching the radio. And the dog stays in the back.”

Chapter 2: Talking the Avenue Green

The ambulance rolled ahead, and ⟨Character 1⟩ followed close, Lila's window down, wind ruffling her hair.

Lila: “Green, please! Thank you! Next one, green! You’re doing great. Keep it up.”

Most lights clicked to green as she spoke, one after another, like a row of nodding heads.

⟨Character 1⟩: “How are you doing that? Are you sure you’re not just making the cars stop with your mind?”

Lila: “No, I just ask. They’re like people. Some are friendly, some are grumpy. That one back there was grumpy.”

But up ahead, one light stayed red. It was old, rust around the rim, paint peeling.

Lila: “That’s Seven. It’s been red for years. Nobody ever says thank you to it, so it just sulks. I’ve tried asking, but it won’t listen.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Sulking. A traffic light is sulking. Right. Let me see its control box. Every light has a little box. If it’s stuck, I can reset it.”

He found the gray box at the base of the pole, flipped it open, and tapped at his laptop.

⟨Character 1⟩: “Okay, Seven. Let’s see what’s wrong with you. Nobody thanked you? I’ll thank you. There. Reset. Now please, for the love of dinner, turn green.”

The light flickered, hummed, and turned green.

Lila: “See? It just needed a little attention. You’re not so bad at this.”

They drove on, but a police car pulled up behind them, lights flashing.

Officer Kadeem: “You just ran three red lights. I’m Officer Kadeem. License and registration, please.”

Lila: “Wait! It’s an emergency. Look at the lights. I can make them say something.”

She whispered to the nearest light, and it began to blink. Long, short, long. Then a pattern.

Officer Kadeem: “Morse code? A-M-B-U-L-A-N-C-E. That’s what it’s spelling. How did you do that?”

Lila: “I asked them to help. There’s an ambulance right behind us. It’s lost. We’re guiding it to the hospital.”

The officer looked at the ambulance, then at the blinking lights, then at ⟨Character 1⟩.

Officer Kadeem: “All right. I’ll follow you. Lead the way, and I’ll keep the traffic clear.”

They reached the last intersection, but the ambulance sputtered and stopped. Its fuel light was on. And the light above them was dark, its bulb dead.

Lila: “I can’t hear it. It’s not saying anything. It’s just… dark. What do I do? I don’t know what to do.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Hey. Breathe. If it can’t talk, we’ll make it talk. I’ve got a spare cable. Your voice goes through my laptop speaker. Ready?”

He connected the cable to the light and his laptop, and held it up.

Lila: “Hello? It’s me. We really need you. Can you help us, please?”

The light flickered once, then turned a steady green.

Chapter 3: All Clear

The ambulance rolled into the hospital lot, and the green light held steady behind them. Two nurses hurried out with a stretcher.

Officer Kadeem: “Go on through. You too. Take the side entrance. I’ll hold the gate.”

Lila: “They got in. The ambulance made it. The light did it.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “We did it. Mostly you. I just held the cable and complained.”

Officer Kadeem: “That Morse trick. I’m going to remember that one. I’ve been on this beat eleven years, and I’ve never seen a light talk before. You take care now.”

The police car pulled away, and the avenue went quiet. ⟨Character 1⟩ parked and killed the engine. They sat on the curb, the dog flopping down between them.

⟨Character 1⟩: “I should tell you something. I don’t really do this. People, I mean. I build websites in my apartment, and I eat alone, and I sleep a lot. It’s easier than talking to anyone. But tonight was not easier. It was better.”

Lila: “Why did you stop, then? Back at the light? You could have just driven around.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “I don’t know. The dog, I guess. And I was hungry. But mostly I think I wanted to know if a light could really talk. It can. You should keep a record of them. Every light you talk to. Then you’ll know when one’s sulking.”

Lila: “Could I? A record? Like a notebook, but on the internet?”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Exactly like that. I’ll build you a website. You can log every light you talk to. Their names, their moods, what they like. I know a little about websites.”

He handed her the foil container of biryani. It was definitely cold now. They ate it anyway, passing it back and forth.

Lila: “This is really good. Even cold.”

⟨Character 1⟩: “That’s the one thing I’m good at. Eating. And sleeping. And websites, apparently.”

The dog snored softly at their feet, and the sky behind the hospital began to turn from black to gray to pink.

Lila: “I’m so sleepy. Is it okay if I close my eyes for a minute?”

⟨Character 1⟩: “Back seat’s all yours. Dog too. Just don’t touch the radio.”

She climbed in and curled up. The dog jumped up beside her. ⟨Character 1⟩ leaned his seat back. The first birds started up, and the whole car went quiet.