Lights Out, Story On
The one everybody watches together on the big screen, more than once
The story
Story Night in the Duskhollow burrow
Friday night in the Duskhollow burrow — and Story Night waits for nobody. The four badgers pile onto the sofa in a cheerful scramble. Blankets are yanked, popcorn is passed, and Corra plants her flag on the best corner cushion with both paws. “Best seat. Mine. Official.”
Lights out
Dobson raises the remote with great ceremony — and every lantern in the burrow blinks out at once. Blackness, a single fizzing crackle, and the soft thud of Pip’s stuffed mushroom hitting the floor. Marra reaches into a cardigan pocket and lights one small emergency candle. “This candle burns for about as long as a very good story. So. No pressure.”
We each invent one part
Corra stands up on the sofa cushion, one arm raised, the candle flame catching the stripes on her pyjamas. “Story Night is NOT cancelled. We each invent one part. Out loud. Right now. In the dark.” From somewhere in the blankets, a small voice asks: “…Can Gerald have a part?”
The story lurches gloriously sideways
Corra opens with a brave explorer crossing a midnight forest, trees as tall as secrets. Dobson leaps up and hijacks it with a roaring river, arms churning like paddles. Marra adjusts her glasses and adds a tower whose stones are stars, to be stacked brightest, then warmest, then oldest. Then everyone turns to Pip, who holds up Gerald and says, in a small and absolutely certain voice: “The explorer had a friend. A small mushroom called Gerald. Gerald was there the whole time.” The room dissolves into laughter.
Two endings at once
Corra and Dobson both straighten up, each certain they know how the story ends — hers soaring and poetic, his a magnificent and baffling sound effect. They fold their arms and the candle gutters. Then Pip lifts Gerald between them like a small, serious referee. “Gerald says they both end at the same time.” A beat of silence — and then, unrehearsed, they both speak at once. Their endings tangle into something completely wonderful, and Marra traces the last line in the air with her fingertip: “And Gerald was home.”
From the top?
The lanterns hum back on. The television clicks to life and the film’s title card glows on the screen. All four badgers turn and look at it for a long, quiet moment. Then Corra picks up the remote and clicks it off. The candle had just enough story left in it. Blankets are pulled back in, Gerald is tucked under Pip’s chin, and Corra settles into her corner. “From the top?” “Gerald says yes.”
For grown-ups
Cast it to the television, turn the lights down, and let it be a small occasion. At three minutes it is the longest film in this set, which is the point — a family story night needs something that feels like a film, not a clip.
Talk about it together
- Where are the three friends going, and why?
- What happens as the sky gets darker?
- If our family made a film together, what would it be about?
Frequently asked questions
How long is it?
About three minutes — the longest film in this collection, made to feel like an occasion rather than a clip.
Can we watch it on the TV?
Yes. It is on YouTube, so it casts to any television or smart TV app; the big screen is where it was made to be watched.
Can our family make a film like this?
Yes. ReadKidz makes a short animated story from one sentence — your family, your characters, your ending.
More to watch
Make your own animated story from one sentence.
Describe the idea, pick a look, and ReadKidz writes, draws and animates it — characters stay the same from the first shot to the last.
