The Cornish wind whipped Summer-Lily’s bright red cape around her as she surveyed the scene. Below, in the bustling Par beach, a bewildered man stood on a soapbox, repeating the same terrible joke: “Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything!” He’d deliver the punchline with a forced chuckle, then his eyes would glaze over, and he’d start again.
“He’s stuck, Lilly-Summer,” Summer-Lily said, her voice tight with concern. “Another time loop. Rich is having a rotten time.”
Lilly-Summer, her blonde curls dancing in the sea breeze, nodded. “He looks miserable. We need to get him out of it.”
“Right. You ready?” Summer-Lily asked, stretching her long legs.
“Always,” Lilly-Summer replied, a gentle smile already forming.
Summer-Lily took a deep breath. With a powerful surge, she launched herself into the air, a blur of red against the grey sky. She landed gracefully on a nearby rooftop, then executed a series of flawless gymnastic rolls, using the rooftops as a springboard. With a final, astonishing leap, she landed beside Rich, the soapbox creaking under the impact.
“Hold on, Rich!” she shouted, grabbing his arm.
Rich, still trapped in his loop, started his joke again: “Why don’t scientists trust atoms—”
“No more jokes!” Summer-Lily interrupted, her grip firm. “We’re here to help.”
Lilly-Summer, meanwhile, had moved through the crowd, her smile spreading like sunshine. People stopped, their frowns softening, their worries fading. Even the seagulls seemed to chirp with a happier tone. She reached Rich and Summer-Lily, her smile directed at the trapped man.
“Hello, Rich,” she said softly. “You don’t have to tell that joke anymore.”
As Lilly-Summer’s smile reached Rich, something shifted. The glazed look in his eyes cleared, replaced by a flicker of confusion, then relief. The joke faltered, then died on his lips. He blinked, looking around at the crowd, then at Summer-Lily and Lilly-Summer.
“What… what happened?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “I feel like I’ve been saying that joke for hours.”
“You were in a time loop,” Summer-Lily explained. “A particularly annoying one, by the sound of it.”
“Your smile,” Rich said, turning to Lilly-Summer, his voice filled with wonder. “It’s… it’s like everything just clicked. Like I remembered who I was.”
Lilly-Summer’s smile widened, a gentle, understanding expression. “Sometimes, all it takes is a little kindness to break through the darkness,” she said.
Summer-Lily patted Rich on the shoulder. “Right, now that you’re free, how about we get some Cornish pasties? I’m starving.”
Rich, still a little dazed, nodded. “That sounds perfect. I feel like I’ve missed a whole day.”
As they walked away, the crowd, still bathed in the afterglow of Lilly-Summer’s smile, began to disperse, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Summer-Lily and Lilly-Summer, two ordinary girls with extraordinary powers, had once again brought a little bit of sunshine to the world. And Rich, finally free from his joke-telling prison, was ready to enjoy a well-deserved pasty.
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