Lily skipped happily along the hiking path, her bright blue eyes sparkling with adventure. She loved the forest, especially the way the sunlight peeked through the tall green trees. Today, she was all alone but enjoying the quiet sounds of nature. Suddenly, her little GPS device blinked and went dark. "Oh no!" she cried. "Now how will I find my way back?" The trees seemed to whisper secrets, but none of them told her which way to go. She tried to remember the path, but every tree looked the same. Fear started to creep into her heart. She wished she had paid more attention to the map before. Lily shouted for help, hoping someone was nearby. Time passed, and the woods grew darker, casting long shadows that danced around her. She continued walking, hoping to hear a familiar sound or discover a known place. She didn't know how far she would have to go, but kept going. She hoped to discover something better and soon.
Far above the trees, Carl zoomed through the sky in his little yellow airplane. Carl loved flying. He thought of himself as a sky captain. He was singing a silly song when his radio went silent, and static crackled in his headphones. "Oh, fiddlesticks!" Carl exclaimed. "Not again! This always seems to happen when I'm having fun." He looked at his pilot instruments; all had suddenly stopped working. Carl started to panic. Carl was always losing things. First it was his car key, then it was his favorite mug. But losing his radio was a big problem. He couldn't call for help. He knew how to fly without instruments, but it was much harder. He looked down and saw a break in the trees. "Maybe I can land there," Carl said to himself. Landing in the forest would be bumpy, but he didn't have any other ideas. Carl carefully guided the plane towards the open spot. He hoped he wouldn't crash into one of the really tall trees beside the open area. He pulled down the emergency brake and prayed that all went well.
Down below, near a small stream, Julia was trying to take the perfect selfie in her campsite. Julia loved sharing her adventures online. She wanted everyone to see how much fun she was having. She just wanted the perfect picture on her account. She held up her tablet, trying to get the best angle, but the screen went black. "No!" she cried. "Not my tablet!" Julia's tablet was her lifeline. It was how she stayed connected with her friends. She tried turning it on again, but nothing happened. She felt alone and cut off from the world. She thought of maybe reading a book, but reading books was boring. She had been trying to get away from her parents so that they couldn't tell her what to do, but now Julia started missing them. She wished that she had brought a paper map with her back pack. Suddenly, she spotted a little girl with dark brown hair. She approached the girl and asked her if she needed help. She seemed disoriented and was looking for the right exit back to where she was going. Julia decided to join her and try to find the exit together.
Lily and Julia walked together for a while. Then, they heard a loud noise. They headed toward the noise. They saw a little yellow airplane sitting in a clearing. Next to the airplane stood a very tall man with blond hair. He looked a little confused. "Hello!" Lily called out. "Are you lost too?" Carl chuckled. "You could say that," he answered. "My radio quit working. I had to land here." They continued until they came to a clearing with a shiny, high-tech building. Satellites pointed toward the vast, blue sky. A sign said, "NASA Research Facility." A kind woman with glasses and short brown hair was standing outside. "Welcome!" she said with a friendly smile. "I'm Megan. I see you've all been affected by the solar flare!" Megan explained that a big burst of energy from the sun had disrupted all the electronics. Everything from GPS systems to radios and tablets were affected. "That's why my GPS stopped working!" Lily exclaimed. "And my radio!" added Carl. "And my tablet!" Julia added quickly. Megan said, "Solar flares can be a nuisance, but they also teach us about the sun! Did you know that sometimes they create amazing auroras in the night sky?" She told them that people could use maps and compasses instead of GPS and radios and they could use special boxes called Faraday cages to protect against electronics damage. As the sun began to set, painting the sky in pink and orange, Megan showed them how to use a compass to find their way home. As Lily, Carl, and Julia said thank you and started back towards the path, they looked up to see the sky shimmer with a beautiful aurora, a gift from the very solar flare that had caused their troubles. They were still grateful for what they experienced that day.
Lily, while hiking, suddenly finds her GPS useless. Carl, a pilot, experiences a radio malfunction. Julia, a camper, deals with her burned out tablet. The unlikely trio stumble upon a NASA facility where they meet Megan. Megan teaches them about solar flares and how to prepare for them using maps, compasses, and Faraday cages. The day ends with a beautiful aurora, a reminder of nature's power and beauty.