The Village with Three Streetlamps

There were three streetlamps in Vela. One stood at the well, one at the post office, and one where the road divided around an old chestnut tree.

Visitors sometimes asked why there were not more. The villagers pointed out that the moon knew the upper road, and every house kept a lamp in its front window on evenings without one.

At ten, the postmistress turned off the lamp by the post office. At eleven, the baker switched off the one at the well. The chestnut lamp remained, because the night bus used it to find the turn.

After the bus had passed, the driver flicked the interior light twice. Someone in the nearest house answered by closing a curtain. The final streetlamp went dark, and Vela returned the hill to the stars.