Power Outage


Lights flickering wildly, the entirety of the house seemed to be going under an immense change as wind blew intensely. Then all at once the electricity was no more. In a world dependent on technology, this development almost frightened me. With few activities left to engage in, I retreated to the couch to read. Without the distractions of everyday life, several small events became extremely evident to me in this time.

The incessant scratching on the window panes started to become a bother, as if a child had decided to be come a nuisance to his peers by scraping his fingers slowly along the chalkboard. Thrown around in every direction, the tiny finger-like branches felt the intense force of the wind. While this raucous was occurring, a gently, almost melodic, hum came from across the room. Tabby, the seventeen year-old family cat, had seemed to fall into deep sleep. The purring grew louder as the cat started to enjoy the coziness of the chair.

A familiar smell started to flood into the living room, as I sat contemplating as to what it could be. Apparently, someone had been cooking a pizza in the oven before the power outage. The smell of half-cooked pizza filled the room as it started to dominate the previous prevailing smell of cinnamon apple scent ascending from the candle in the center of the table. Coming to a stalemate, the scents created an odd mix throughout the air.

My eyes felt a certain relief because of this windstorm. Used to never ending amounts of images flashing on a screen, they scanned the room for some sort of entertainment. In the dim light, everything in sight seemed to be placed under a grayish filter. Nutmeg, the family dog with a bright golden coat, lay under the table enjoying the simplicity of the moment.

Breezes continued to travel all over. Feeling a gust of wind climbing through the room, I quickly grabbed the close amount of comfort. The fleece blanket surrounded me causing an immediate security from the cold. All of these variables: the wind, the cold, and the persistent tapping, seemed to vary directly in their intensity.

The plainness of the whole situation was a great relief to the bustle of everyday life. Then it ended. The electricity flipped back on and the clock flashed twelve.