Green Flash

He hadn’t been able in hundreds of years, but he managed it tonight. At exactly midnight on New years Day, he sent up a green flash. Feeling satisfied, he relaxed to wait for the reactions of the people.

He waited.

And he waited.

And he waited.

“It’s no good,” she says, stepping up beside him. “First, they stopped believing it was a thing. Then they made lights in green and every other color—flashes whenever they wish! Then they turned the lights on all the time. What is the effort of a Green One like yourself next to all that?

“Come. I have some tea made. We can use it to toast the new year.”

And they left, she standing tall and walking with purpose. He came slowly, hunched, shuffled and looked completely lost. He got smaller as they went.

When they arrived, she looked over her shoulder, said, “Oh. Tea for one then,” and fell to.