Hello, it's me, Lily, a frog who lives in a pond and loves to tell stories.

This one's called Switch It On.

Benji was afraid of the dark, of the night of being alone. So he turned on the lights. He turned on his

bedside lamp and the big light in his room. He turned on the light in the hall and the

light in the bathroom.

Turn on the big light, he told his mom.

She made sure the light over the stairs was on.

Then he switched on the kitchen light and the porch light too.

Benji left his bedroom door wide open so the light could spill in, and he kept his blinds closed, so the darkness could not.

He pulled his blankets up, the white one, the green one, and the patchwork quilt, and he stared at the ceiling above.

Benji was still afraid, but at least it wasn't dark.

Even with his eyes closed, he could tell it was bright.

Even when he shut his eyes tight, he could still see light.

But he heard the whisper of a girl.

Turn on the night, said the girl.

Benji, turn on the night.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a little girl, just a sliver of a shadow of a girl in one

corner where the light almost didn't reach.

Her hair curled around her face like wisps of smoke.

Was she real?

Turn on the night, Benji, she said.

Why would I turn on the night? he asked.

...