Looking for Illustrators!

Like to draw? Have a few spare hours? Like children’s literature? I spent a while procrastinating and writing this little story, inspired by Ann Arbor’s trend of sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons. I’m leaving some blank lines to signify each new page, and each space for illustrations! Here’s to young activists and story-telling.

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Bring Back The Sun

Jeremiah was a boy who loved the sun.

When the sky was blue and slow-moving, and the clouds were small and thick, and the sun was strong, Jeremiah was happy.

He liked to dance on both feet in the sunshine, his tight braids bouncing on the top of his head.

Jeremiah lived in a city called Bloomville, and one of his favorite things to do on a Saturday morning was to run down the blocks, streaming past the maroon row houses and cobblestone sidewalks.

Jeremiah pretended that all the buildings were too hot in the sun, and so he ran past them with his arms outstretched, sending waves of cool air onto their blistering surfaces.

Whooooooooooooosh.

He sailed down the streets of black tar, cooling off rows and rows of houses.

In his mind, Jeremiah wore a cape, and the houses all thanked him for cooling them off.

But Jeremiah had a big problem. The mayor of Bloomville, who everyone liked very much, used to own a big car company. So she cancelled all the busses and painted over the bike lanes, and told everyone in Bloomville to buy a car.

And all the people of Bloomville listened to their mayor, because they liked her very much. So every morning, the people of Bloomville got up, ate their breakfast, brushed their teeth and gathered their things. Then, they got into their cars to start the day.

Citizens of Bloomville drove everywhere they went.

To school.                                      To volunteer.

To work.                                         To the bank.

To the library.                               To the park.

Jeremiah hated driving, because he preferred to run down the streets, his sneakers pounding the ground in freedom. But he had another reason for being mad at the cars.

Every morning started off sunny in Bloomville.

And Jeremiah was happy.

But then everyone started driving their cars. And their cars all let off big puffs of poisonous clouds.

By the time lunch rolled around everyday, Bloomfield was covered in a massive, never-ending gray cloud.

Every day was the same. Bright and sunny in the morning. Dark and cloudy in the afternoon.

Jeremiah hated it. He wished the sun would shine all day long, so he could play and dance and laugh with his friends in the afternoon, too.

One day he asked his mom, “What happens to the sun after lunch? How does it get back to the same spot every morning?”

His mom sighed. “You’ve never seen a sunset, Jeremiah.”

Jeremiah was confused. He couldn’t see why everyone had to drive around in their cars. “Why can’t we share?” he thought. “Why can’t we walk? Don’t people miss the sun?”

Then, Jeremiah had an idea. He ran to the Mayor’s office, which was on the main green of Bloomville. He ran up the big set of stairs and knocked on the door of the City Hall. To Jeremiah’s surprise, the Mayor opened up. “Hello there, young Jeremiah.” said Mayor Park. “What can I do for you?”

Jeremiah threw up his hands. “Mrs. Mayor, I’m tired of these clouds.” he said. “Everybody’s cars put toxins in the air and cover up the sun! It never shines past lunch!”

Mayor Park smiled down at him, but shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah. The people of Bloomville like driving cars, it’s good for them. Unless you can show me otherwise, that’s the way it’s going to be. You’ll get your sun in the morning.”

Jeremiah was not satisfied. In fact, he was downright angry. He didn’t think that one person should decide when the sun could shine. So he zoomed down the steps and ran to the playground and gathered his friends together. When he explained his idea, they all agreed to help.

Some went to the hardware store.

Some went to the library to use the printers.

Everyone else, including Jeremiah, went home to put on their  sneakers.

An hour later, they all met back at the playground. All of the runners took a stack of flyers and a bag of wooden keys. When they were finally ready, they devised a plan, and split up the city’s streets. Then they were off! They ran down the sidewalks, pausing at each house to distribute a poster and a fake key.

All afternoon they sped through the neighborhood. Jeremiah was fastest of all. Every time he rang a doorbell he convinced someone else to help bring back the sun. He was so busy he almost forgot to be sad about the gray clouds.

At 6pm, everyone went in front of the City Hall. They were exhausted, but proud of all their hard work. Jeremiah put a huge bin on the top of the steps. “Now we wait,” he said. Soon, Mayor Park walked out of the door with her things, ready to go home for the day. “What’s all this?” she asked the crowd. “Will you wait a few minutes with us and find out?” Jeremiah asked.

Just then, Mrs. Glen from down the road showed up. “I’d like to state my support for the ‘Bring Back the Sun'” campaign. I agree to drive less if the city provides busses.” And she dropped her wooden key in the bin, to symbolize how she would give up driving.

Mr. Howard appeared and came up next. “I’d be happy to ride my bike around if there was space on the streets for me.” He said, dropping his wooden key in the bin.

Steadily, citizens of Bloomville came to the city hall to drop off their keys. Mayor Park sat with Jeremiah and his friends, stunned by what she was seeing. “It appears I was wrong, Jeremiah. It looks like the people of Bloomville actually want to drive less.”

Over the next couple of weeks Mayor Park made a lot of changes in the city. She started five bus routes that catered to most of the people in Bloomville. She had bike lanes painted on all of the main streets. And she had her old company sell hybrid vehicles and bicycles. With fewer cars on the roads, Bloomville stopped getting cloudy in the afternoon. Week by week, the sunshine lasted further into the day.

One night, Jeremiah’s mom invited everyone who worked on the campaign over to their house for cake and ice cream. They all waited on the front porch. “Tonight is a very special night,” She said. “You are all about to see your very first sunset in Bloomville. And it’s all because of your hard work, reminding people to care for the environment.”

Jeremiah sat on the top step, surrounded by his friends and parents and neighbors. He gazed outwards at the fiery ball of light sinking lower and lower into the horizon, sending waves of pink and orange light back across the sky. For the first time he could ever remember, he had been happy for an entire day.