The Light Across the Courtyard
Written by Studio AM.
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During evening power cuts, Tessa in apartment 14 and Arun in apartment 19 began signaling across the courtyard. One long flashlight beam meant, “Are you all right?” Two short flashes meant, “Yes.” Three meant, “Do you need anything?” They never exchanged names, but the pattern made dark evenings less solitary.
One Tuesday, Tessa sent the long beam. Across the courtyard came one brief flash, then nothing. She waited and tried again. One flash. The code contained no meaning for that answer. Tessa imagined a dead battery, an injury, or a stranger in the room.
She walked downstairs and asked the building manager to check apartment 19. At the same moment, Arun reached apartment 14 carrying a lamp. His flashlight switch had broken. Each attempt to send two flashes produced one brief flicker before the light failed. Seeing Tessa repeat her question, he had decided to check on her in person.
Arun came back downstairs and found Tessa in the lobby. They laughed at their crossed journeys. Then they compared assumptions. Their code handled routine reassurance but failed when equipment broke. More flashes would not necessarily solve the problem; they needed a recovery rule. The next evening, they introduced themselves and added one signal: any unfamiliar pattern meant, “Meet in the lobby if safe.” The code became less elegant and more useful. Communication also needs a path for discovering what an unexpected message means.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
What is the main idea of the story?
The answer is A: Two neighbors discover that a simple signal code needs a recovery rule when an unfamiliar message creates conflicting interpretations.
The unexpected flash exposes ambiguity, sends both neighbors to check on the other, and leads to a rule for resolving unknown patterns.
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Question 2 of 4
Why does Arun decide to visit Tessa?
The answer is B: His failed reply leaves her repeating the question, so he wants to check on her.
Arun cannot send the agreed reply and sees Tessa asking again, so a visit lets him check on her directly.
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Question 3 of 4
What does “routine” mean in the fourth paragraph?
The answer is C: ordinary and expected
The original code works for familiar reassurance questions but not unusual equipment conditions.
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Question 4 of 4
Where do Tessa and Arun first meet?
The answer is D: in the building lobby
Their crossed trips bring them together in the lobby before they revise the code.
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