Before the Blackout

Before darkness swept over me I was kneeling in front of my computer clicking away at today's sudoku as I digested my dinner. Then there was an electronic gasp as every piece of hardware died and thousands of LEDs finally found silence. Seconds passed which seemed like hours because I had no clock to use to keep track of these things. Then there was a half-hearted wheeze, power ebbed back into all devices for a final fleeting glimpse before like a hand waving out of a departing car it was gone. Somewhere nearby two possum police officers were on their way to the tree of a widow to take off their little possum police hats and deliver the bad news.

Before the blackout I had never seriously sat down and wondered exactly how those ancient Chinese Sudoku masters could have played without the internet.

Before the blackout I had been thinking about the coming weekend of camping, fantasising about the simple, relaxing pleasures that would come from drinking beer and playing cards with my friends by gas light. Now I was struck with the stink of candles and losing at cheat to my mother while imagining the air conditioner that would cool me down.

Before the blackout the fridge was chilling my drink and the spa was heating my therapy. After the blackout I realised that stumbling through the darkness to migrate my drink into the murky, chlorinated waters had been panic fueled foolishness.

Before the blackout I was idealistic, but after the blackout I was jaded.