The night sky above Beechwood Park was as dark as a pirate’s cave, and Marcus couldn’t stop bouncing with excitement. His curly red hair glowed in the light of the fairground stalls, and his freckles looked like tiny sparks ready to burst into flame. He tugged at his mum’s sleeve.
“Mum, when will the fireworks start?” he asked, his single real eye wide.
“Soon, love,” she smiled. “But try to stay still, or you’ll float away before they do!”
Marcus giggled and tapped his glass eye—Nelson Haddoc Popeye Harris the XXIV, of course. Nelson shimmered faintly, as he always did when he was feeling mischievous.
“Keep an eye out, Captain,” Nelson whispered. “I suspect explosive fun tonight.”
The park was packed. Families spread blankets, children waved glow sticks, and the smell of hotdogs and toffee apples floated through the air. The mayor had promised “the biggest firework display Newport had ever seen,” and everyone buzzed with excitement.
Marcus and his mum found a spot near the front. Nelson perched proudly in Marcus’s eye socket, scanning the scene like a lookout in a crow’s nest. Everything was perfect—until it wasn’t.
A loud bang! came from behind the stage—not the firework kind, but a spluttering, wrong kind of bang. A man in a high-vis jacket ran out waving his arms. “Something’s gone wrong! The fuse has lit early!”
The crowd gasped. Sparks hissed and danced near the stacked crates of fireworks, ready to launch all at once. If they went off now, it would be chaos.
Marcus froze. “Mum! The fireworks are going to—”
But before he could finish, Nelson popped right out of his head and shot toward the danger like a gleaming cannonball.
“Nelson! Come back!” Marcus cried.
The little glass eye rolled, bounced, and then—splosh!—plopped straight into a bucket of water beside the fuse. A second later—sssshh!—the sizzling stopped. Steam rose in a great puff, and Nelson floated triumphantly on the surface, his tiny pirate hat slightly askew.
The crowd cheered. The man in the high-vis jacket blinked in disbelief. “That… that little eyeball just saved the fireworks!”
Marcus ran over and scooped Nelson up, dripping and grinning. “You did it, Nelson! You’re a hero!”
Nelson winked. “All in a day’s work, Captain. No need for applause.
A few minutes later, with everything safe again, the proper countdown began.
“Ten! Nine! Eight!” the crowd roared.
Marcus hugged his mum tight, Nelson glimmering proudly in place.
When the first firework burst across the sky, it was like magic—green and gold stars shimmering over the park. Marcus gasped, and Nelson’s glow reflected the colors.
The mayor even made a special announcement: “Tonight’s fireworks are dedicated to the bravery of Newport’s newest hero—Nelson the Eye!”
As the sky filled with sparkling lights, Nelson whispered, “See, Marcus? Heroes come in all shapes and sizes—even round ones.”
Marcus laughed. “Aye aye, Captain Eye.”
And under the glittering sky, boy and eye watched together, glowing brighter than all the fireworks above.
