The Light We Build When the Applause of the Crowd Fades

There were no reporters here today.

There were no university donors, no podiums, and no cameras.

The only sound was the wind moving through the dry grass on the hillside.

I looked at Derek, and he gave me a quiet, tired smile.

“We did it,” he said.

“We did,” I said.

I leaned my back against the warm metal of the battery cabinet, watching the quiet neighborhood below us fill with light.

It was a small thing, but it was real, and it was ours.