A Light in the Sky - The Backyardigans

Summer

A warm breeze blew through the air as the afternoon sun was finishing it's trip across the sky. The feeling of summer was in the air at last.
All across the small town of Hillsburg, Arkansas, school bells rung through the air like a heavenly choir, alongside the occasional church bell as well. Schools were letting out for the final time that year for the summer, and everyone was happy.
A sweet chorus of delighted screams, laughter and shout-talking erupted from Hillsburg Middle School as the crowd of pre-teens cascaded through the doors and onto the sidewalk. Several bright yellow school buses waited for them, their doors wide open as their bright yellow paint glowed brightly in the afternoon sunlight.

Pablo sat against a tree in the front yard of Hillsburg middle, snacking on a few crackers he had left from lunch. As elated as he was, he was exhausted from the day's work, and couldn't wait until he got home. He caught sight of his bus pulling up to the sidewalk and promptly shot up, backpack in flipper. As he began walking to his respective bus, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Ey wait up!"

Pablo turned around, and grinned when he saw his friend Tyrone jogging his way towards him. "Was about time you showed up, slowpoke!" Pablo jokingly called out, to which Tyrone gave him a joking slap across the head. "Oh shuuuuduuup dude, you KNOW I'm not as fast as you." He chuckled in response, before trying to pick up a conversation. "My god, I thought this day would NEVER come."
"True that, I thought I was gonna go crazy for how long they kept us in there!"
"It doesn't help that Mrs. Childers does that thing where she keeps us behind the bell for doing the most MUNDANE things imaginable."
Pablo and Tyrone chuckled as they boarded their bus, quickly taking a seat. The loud sounds of kids of all ages talking, shouting or laughing filled the bus as they boarded, but they could've cared less. This would be the last time they'd ride the bus in a loooong while, and they weren't gonna let the chaos ruin their mood. Just as they were getting settled in, Pablo felt someone flick him on the top of his head. Annoyed that someone was bothering him yet again, he turned around to see who it was. His face soon went from annoyance to happiness when he caught Uniqua. "Whoa, hey! I thought you rode bus 2 in the afternoons?"
"Not anymore. Got a bus change because this douchewagon kept messing with me."
"Lemme guess, Danny?"
"Yup."
"Yeah, figured. Also, speaking of that, where the heck is Tasha and Austin?"
"Oh, them? They got to check out. They got their crap finished early."
"Dang... lucky for them."
The three exchanged a few more words, before the bus driver yelled at everyone to settle down. The three immediately sat back down, not wanting to get on the driver's bad side again. Soon after, the bus began to move, and their trip home began. The bus pulled out of the loading zone, and began to make it's way through the backroads before going downtown. Stores, restaurants and offices flew by as Pablo watched out the window, the sun providing a comfortable ambient light alongside the roar of the bus' engine. Soon the bus exited the downtown area, crossing a bridge or two over short creek, before finally entering into a suburban neighborhood. Weatherwood Heights... the place he and his friends called home. The bus stopped a few times to let some of it's passengers off (which included Tyrone and Uniqua), before it finally got to Pablo's house. He quickly got up, grabbing his backpack, gave the bus driver a quick farewell and was out the door in less than a second. The warm summer breeze blew over him as he stepped out of the bus. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, throwing the front door open and tossing his backpack aside. Before he could scramble upstairs, a voice called out to him.
"Whoa son, you not gonna give your ole' ma a hello?"
The young penguin glanced behind him, and saw his mother leaning in the doorway, flippers crossed and a smug, but weary look on her face. "Oh crap, hey ma. How was work today?"
"Good, but loooooong. WAY too long."
"I feel ya dude, I thought today was NEVER gonna end."
Pablo's mom snickered. "Well... thank the lord it has. Go and play your video games kiddo. You earned it."
Pablo's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and he sprang up the stairs as fast as he could to his room. He practically threw the door open, and immediately leaped like an Olympic jumper onto his bed. He was free. After nearly 200 days of nonstop learning, tests, bullies and crippling boredom... he was finally free. He rolled over on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a wide smile on his face, before he heard a slight tap at his window. At first he brushed this off as a bird or a bug, until he heard it again. He glanced towards his window, just in time to see a small rock clack against the thick glass. A bit curious and annoyed, Pablo hopped off the bed to see who was throwing rocks at his house, only for a smile to form on his face once again. Below him, standing in his front yard, was his friend Austin. Immediately Pablo opened his window, and poked his head out.