Traffic Talk
3 chapters for 1 character · about 12 minutes · told 1 time. The highlighted parts are filled in with your own characters when you make this story yours.
Chapter 1: Red Lights Calling
⟨Character 1⟩ sits in his usual chair, building a bakery website. Outside his window, the traffic light blinks red, red, red, pause.
⟨Character 1⟩: “Not now, I’m on a deadline. The bakery website needs its cinnamon roll photos uploaded by midnight, and the client keeps texting me happy little emojis. I am not leaving this chair for a blinking red light. I already changed into my slippers, my coffee is still hot, and the code finally works. Go blink at someone else.”
Green Light: “⟨Character 1⟩, please. An ambulance is lost. The driver has an old map and keeps circling the same block, siren going. There is a patient waiting at 14 Jasmine Lane and every minute matters. You are the only one who ever listens to us. I know you want to be left alone, but tonight we need you. Come to the corner now.”
Red Light: “The ambulance keeps turning at the wrong corner because Jasmine Lane was renamed last month. The new street sign is hidden behind a delivery van, so the driver sees only the old bakery sign. He has driven past us three times, wailing. We cannot guide him from up here. Only you can hear us, ⟨Character 1⟩. Tell him where to go.”
⟨Character 1⟩: “Fine. I’ll go. But I am going to have a long shower when this is over, and then I am going straight back to my website. The cinnamon rolls can wait ten more minutes, I suppose. Tell me the route while I put on my sandals. And if my coffee gets cold, I am billing the city. I am not built for rain and small talk, but I can follow instructions.”
Rain drizzles. ⟨Character 1⟩ stands under the traffic light, getting wet. The ambulance rounds the corner again, siren wailing.
Driver: “Hey, do you know where 14 Jasmine Lane is? My map says it’s on this block but there’s nothing but a closed bakery. I’ve driven around three times, siren wailing. The sat nav keeps rerouting me to a dead end. I’m sorry to stop you in the rain, but we are running out of time. Do you know this area?”
⟨Character 1⟩: “Your map is outdated. Jasmine Lane was renamed last month, and the new sign is hidden. I can talk to the traffic lights. They know exactly where the house is. Follow the green lights and I will walk you through the missing part. You can do it, driver. Just watch the signals. And please turn off your siren once we get close, the patient does not need more noise.”
Paramedic: “We’ll try anything. Our patient is a little boy with a sprained ankle and he is scared. The driver’s map led us to a dead end and now we are lost. Every minute counts, and I have no idea what you mean about talking to traffic lights, but right now I don’t care. Please, just get us there.”
Chapter 2: The Green Wave
Rain still drizzles. ⟨Character 1⟩ stands at the corner, laptop open under his jacket, the ambulance rumbling behind him.
⟨Character 1⟩: Okay, Green Light, I’m here and I’m wet. The rain is dripping down my neck and my slippers are soaked, so talk fast. Tell me the fastest route to 14 Jasmine Lane and I’ll type it into the traffic control system. I never had a sister or a brother to teach me patience, so I learned it by watching red lights change for twenty years. Now, what’s the plan?
Green Light: The street called Jasmine Lane is behind the old bakery, but the alley between the brick buildings is dark and has no wiring for our signals. Our colored lights do not reach into that narrow gap. You must create a green wave with your laptop, just like the one you designed for the city’s emergency vehicles. Log into the system now, override every signal from this corner to the bakery, and turn them all green in sequence.
⟨Character 1⟩: I built this system for ambulances and fire trucks, but I never thought I’d use it while standing in a puddle in my house slippers. There, I’m in. Every light from here to the bakery will now go green one after another, like dominoes falling away from us. Driver, follow the greens. Do not stop for any red, because there won’t be one until after the bakery. Stay close.
Driver: I’ve never seen this in twenty years of driving. It’s like the road is clearing for us, every signal snapping to green just as we reach it. My map is useless, but this green wave is perfect. We’re not lost anymore, not with this road opening up ahead. Thank you, whoever you are. The patient is breathing easier already.
The ambulance rolls forward and ⟨Character 1⟩ walks beside it, laptop open, watching the signal changes ripple down the wet avenue.
Green Light: We have been waiting for weeks to talk to you, ⟨Character 1⟩. You are the only human who listens. The others just honk and curse when we stay red too long, but you hear our actual words. We tried to signal you many times, but you were always busy with your websites or your sleep. Tonight we got your attention because an ambulance needed saving, and we knew you could help.
Red Light: I confess I am afraid of the dark, but the light across the street will shine if you walk. Its beam reaches only halfway down the alley because of the dumpsters. You can add your phone flashlight and guide the ambulance through the rest. Please, ⟨Character 1⟩, go ahead and light the way for us. We cannot follow you into that blackness, but you can.
⟨Character 1⟩: Fine, I’ll light the way. I’ll turn on my phone flashlight and walk in front of the ambulance, making sure the driver sees my light through the rain. After this, I am going home to finish my bakery website and then sleep for ten hours. Hold on, paramedic, I’m coming with the flashlight. Let’s get this boy to his house.
Chapter 3: Jasmine Lane
The lost ambulance rolls to a stop in front of a small house with a green door on Jasmine Lane. ⟨Character 1⟩’s talk with the traffic lights has saved it, and now the two lights watch over the quiet street like sisters.
Paramedic: “We found the boy. He has a sprained ankle from falling off his scooter, and his parents are right inside with the neighbor. He is warm and safe in this blanket, all that crying turned into a tired smile when he saw the green wave through the window. Thank you, ⟨Character 1⟩. You led us through the dark like a human traffic signal.”
Driver: “Emergency cookies. You look like you need sugar. I always keep a stash for long night shifts, and after that green wave you deserve more than a thank-you. The sirens are off now, and the street is quiet enough to hear the rain on the leaves. Take the whole bag, my friend.”
⟨Character 1⟩: “I'd prefer samosas, but thanks. I haven’t eaten since lunch and my coffee is cold at home, so these will do. After this, I am going to finish a bakery website and fall asleep at my desk. The customer will understand if I add a new category called emergency cookies and bill the city for my wet slippers.”
Driver: “Next time, I’ll bring samosas. The little bay window on this house is exactly like the one in my paper map from ten years ago, before Jasmine Lane changed its name. Thank you for talking to the traffic lights for us. I’ll never look at a green light the same way again.”
⟨Character 1⟩: “They were the ones who talked to me. I just typed a few things and walked with a flashlight. The traffic lights are the real heroes tonight. Go on, paramedic, get him settled inside. I’ll close my laptop and make sure the signals reset to normal before any other ambulance needs a path.”
Later, inside ⟨Character 1⟩’s apartment, the traffic lights outside settle into a steady green that falls across his desk and his face.
⟨Character 1⟩: “Goodnight. And thank you. I never asked for company, and you never pushed. But tonight I felt useful in a way that the website comments never made me feel. The green glow on my face is better than any screen light. I’ll leave the system running so you can talk to me whenever you need.”
Green Light: “Goodnight, ⟨Character 1⟩. Sleep well. We will keep watch over the corner and over Jasmine Lane. The lost ambulance is found, the patient is safe, and the traffic lights are at peace. Now close your eyes and let the green be your night light.”
Goodnight, ⟨Character 1⟩. Sleep well. Green Light and Red Light will keep watch, and Driver and Paramedic are safe. Rest now.
A question for tonight
⟨Character 1⟩, what small signal have you been ignoring that might be asking for your help?