It took Maddie weeks to notice the streetlight on the corner of her street wasn’t just malfunctioning, it was malfunctioning in a very particular way. She had been walking George, her puppy, and just passed under the streetlight. It winked out. Then flashed erratically a number of times then stayed dark. She walked on and half a block later she looked over her shoulder to see the light lit and steady.

The next night she stared at the light as soon as they turned the corner. She watched it for the two blocks as they approached. It shined steady without any fluttering at all. When she and George were within about ten feet of it, however, it winked out for a moment, then started flashing erratically again. And then again, once she was past the light it lit up steady again.

She stopped, George giving her a little grunt of confusion.

“I’m testing something,” she told him as she tugged his leash back down the street towards the light. Within ten feet the light winked out and started flashing, then went dim. She turned and hurried up the street to her house and rushed inside. “Evelyn!” she yelled.

“Yeah, hon?” Evelyn called from the kitchen.

“I need your help,” she remained in the entryway.

“If George had the runs again, that’s on you – we’ve established he’s your dog where that’s concerned.”

“No, Ev, it’s not that. I need you to try an experiment for me.”

Evelyn came out of the kitchen tasting a sauce on a wooden spoon. “Mmm,” she said and nodded before offering the spoon to Maddie.

“Oh, wow, Ev, that’s amazing.”

“It’s just spaghetti sauce.”

“That? That is not just anything.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” she said offering Maddie a kiss. “What do you need?”

“I need you to walk George down the street.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you just do that?”

“I did, I did. Trust me, I want to see something.”

Evelyn took off her apron and took the leash from Maddie and opened the door. For his part, George looked as confused as Evelyn. “Don’t ask me, buddy. Your mom’s crazy.”

When they were on the sidewalk, Maddie said, “Okay, I want you to walk George down and around the corner. Go – I don’t know – 100 feet further, turn around and come back.”

“You’ve got a reason for this, right?”

Maddie nodded.

“Alright,” Evelyn said and started off with George. Maddie stared at the lit streetlight as they went. When they came within 10 feet… nothing happened. The light stayed lit and clearly showed Evelyn and George disappearing around the corner. A few moments later, they reappeared under the lit streetlight and stopped in front of Maddie. “Was that everything you hoped it would be?” Evelyn smiled.

“Huh…” Maddie stared at the streetlight. “Okay, okay, here,” she handed Evelyn her phone and took George’s leash. “Zoom in on that streetlight and stay focused on it.”

“The streetlight?”

“Yes.”

“That one?” she pointed.

“That one, yes. Ready?” Maddie strode down the street with George. When they got within ten feet of the light, it winked out. Then it started blinking erratically and then stayed dark. She spun and ran back to Evelyn, a tired George struggling to keep up. “Did you get it?”

Evelyn turned the phone around and the video of Maddie and George walking towards the corner was already playing. Maddie watched as the light winked out, then the light flashed, then stayed dim. “Thank you!” She gave Evelyn a big hug.

Evelyn returned the hug, “You know, I could film paint drying for you if that would get me more than a hug…”

Maddie play punched her in the arm and said, “Let’s go inside. I want some of that spaghetti!”

That night Maddie watched the light blink erratically on her monitor. She had zoomed in and had the video on repeat.

She was missing something.

The next night she had Evelyn film her and the light again, and again the next night.

She played them back to back. The blinking looked the same.

She synced them and played them at the same time. The blinking was the same.

…Only when she walked under the light…

… The light stayed steady all other times…

She figured she could call the city and see if they could send a technician. But what would she tell them? Like they’d waste their time for an utterly intermittent blinking light that only happened when she walked under it.

When she started to think maybe she had some special electromagnetic powers, she dropped her head onto the desk with an audible thud.

“You okay, Mads?”

Her voice muffled by the desk, Maddie said, “Yeah…. No….” She raised her head. “I miss my dad,” she said.

“That’s natural,” Evelyn said. “He’s only been gone, what? A couple years?”

“Two years, eight months, thirteen days. But who’s counting?”

“Clearly you are,” Evelyn said. Then, “Which is understandable. He sounds like a good man and you guys were close. It makes sense.”

“Yeah, but he’d get this. He’d see what I’m missing. This was his field.”

“I thought you said he was more radio than electrical.”

“Yeah, he was, but it’s all electrons. He’d understand this problem…” she watched the three recordings of the lights flash in unison, pause, then repeat. Flash, pause, repeat… She focused on the flashing itself – the flashes weren’t all the same duration, she noticed. But… they weren’t of a random duration either. She started to see a pattern. On for a second, off, on for a second, off for two… on for less than a second, off, on for second, off for two… On for a second, off, on for a quarter second, off, on for a quarter second, off for two… On for a second, off, on for a quarter second, off, on for a quarter second, off for two… On for a quarter second, off, on for a quarter second, off for two… On for a quarter second, off, video repeats…

“No fucking way.”

“Maddie?”

She grabbed a piece of paper and started noting the pattern down on the paper.

“Maddie? Are you okay?”

Maddie watched the video loop again, checking her notation. “No. No, no, no, no, no…” she said when it was clear her notation was correct.

Evelyn stood up and crossed to look over Maddie’s shoulder. “What’s going on, Mads?”

“Look,” she said tracing her pencil under the notation as the video played the flashes.

“Okay…” Evelyn watched. “Help a girl out, Mads. What am I seeing here?”

Evelyn looked up at her with wide eyes then back down at the paper. Under the first “– –” she wrote an “M”. Under the “. –” she wrote an “A”. Under the two instances of “– . .” she wrote “D”s. Under the two dots she wrote an “I”. Finally, under the last “.” She wrote “E”

“Maddie?” Evelyn read.

“My dad made me learn morse code when I took my HAM radio license. I told him it wasn’t a requirement for the Technician’s license test I was taking but he insisted I learn it and learn it cold.

“Mads, you’re freaking me out a little bit.”

“I’m freaking myself out a lot,” Maddie said, standing up from the chair and striding for the door.

“Maddie?”

As Maddie started down the street, the tears started falling. They blurred her view of the streetlight that shone brightly ahead. When she got within ten feet, the light winked out and started the pattern, “– .- -.. -.. .. .”

“Dad,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Is that you?”

The light stayed dark for a moment. Then repeated “– .- -.. -.. .. .” Then, the message kept going: “.. / -.. .. -.. -. .—-. – / -.- -. — .– / .. ..-. / -.– — ..- .—-. -.. / -. — – .. -.-. .”

“You didn’t know if I’d notice?”

“.. .—-. — / .. — .–. .-. . … … . -.. –..– / — .- -.. -.. .. . .-.-.- / .. / .– — .-. .-. .. . -.. / -.– — ..- / ..-. — .-. –. — – / -.– — ..- .-. / — — .-. … . / -.-. — -.. .” I’m impressed, Maddie. I worried you forgot your morse code.

“No dad,” she said as the tears streamed down her face. “You drilled me on it pretty hard. And, if I’m honest, that’s how I was able to communicate with Terri Johnson next door when you and mom took my phone away.”

“.. / .– .- … / .– — -. -.. . .-. .. -. –. / …. — .– / -.– — ..- / -.-. — ..- .-.. -.. / .–. .. -.-. -.- / – …. .. … / ..- .–. / … — / .– . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / .. – / .– .- … / .- .-.. .-.. / – …. .- – / ..-. .-.. .. .-. – .. -. –.” I was wondering how you could pick this up so well. It was all that flirting.

“Dad! We weren’t flirting…”

“– .- -.. -.. .. . .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.-“ Maddie…

“Alright, alright…” she blushed, “Maybe a little flirting.

“Maddie? Are you okay?” Evelyn approached slowly.

Maddie sniffled and smiled. “Yeah,” she laughed. Then she said to the light, “Dad, this is Evelyn.” To Evelyn, “Evie, this is my dad.”

“.–. .-.. . .- … . -.. / – — / — . . – / -.– — ..- –..– / . …- . .-.. -.– -.”

“Uh, what was that?” Evelyn asked as the streetlight flashed seemingly erratically.

“He says ‘Pleased to meet you, Evelyn’” She said and then broke down sobbing.

“Hey,” Evelyn rushed over to her and hugged her. “Are you okay, babe?”

“I never thought I’d get to introduce you to my dad,” she sobbed. The streetlight overhead flashed empathetically.

Six months later, Maddie and George walked towards the corner.

The light blinked out, then “…. . -.– / — .- -.. -.. .. . -.-.– / …. — .– / .– .- … / -.– — ..- .-. / -.. .- -.– ..–..” Hey Maddie! How was your day?

“Dad,” she started, settling down on the sidewalk, her back against the streetlight and George settling in next to her in a practiced motion. “Evelyn proposed!” she held her hand up with her engagement ring.

“…. — -. . -.– –..– / – …. .- – .—-. … / … — / –. .-. . .- – -.-.– / .. .—-. — / … — / …. .- .–. .–. -.– / ..-. — .-. / -.– — ..- / -… — – …. -.-.– / – . .-.. .-.. / — . / …. — .– / … …. . / .–. .-. — .–. — … . -.. -.-.—” Honey, that’s so great! I’m so happy for you both! Tell me how she proposed!

“Well, you know how I told you we were going out to dinner Sunday?” she started. The light flashed interjections occasionally.