The Spare Battery

Florence and Charles are filming a short school video. They want to show how to plant a seed. Florence sets a pot on the garden table. Charles switches on the camera.

Just as Florence starts, the camera turns off. Charles checks the screen. “The battery is empty,” he says. Florence looks at their bags. “Did we bring the spare?”

Charles finds a spare battery in its small case. He puts it into the camera and tries again. The camera works, but the sun shines straight at the lens. Florence’s face is hard to see.

They move the table into light shade. Charles checks the picture before recording. Now he can see Florence, the pot and the seed clearly. She waits until he gives a nod.

Florence fills the pot with soil and makes a small hole. She drops in the seed, covers it and adds water. Charles films each step. They watch the whole video to check nothing is missing.

Their class uses the video to plant more seeds. Florence and Charles keep the spare battery in its case. “Next time we will check the camera first,” says Charles. “And the light,” adds Florence.