What Happens When the Power Goes Out

What Happens When the Power Goes Out

Collective groans as the flat screen that was just showing a movie scene from Mulan went black. The overhead fan was slowing down, all of the lights flickered then the family was plunged into total and complete darkness. The house robbed of all of its mechanical hums was a loud all-encompassing silence. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see their reflections on the sliding glass doors adjacent to the flat screen mounted over the fireplace mantle. The mirror-like image was eerie in its ghostly print upon the glass, appearing as they were watching another family in another dimension, a parallel universe. The heat felt from the lack of temperature control was immediate and heavy.

“What happened Daddy?” Emma asked in her small voice. “The lights went out genius!” came her brother’s terse reply. “Evan, not called for, ” said Edward in a calm controlled voice laced with reproach. Evan rolled his eyes while slouching down into the sofa and muttered “Yes sir” with resignation. He already knew the drill, his father did not tolerate “meanness between siblings”, “Sorry Emma” Evan forced from the deepest part of his very soul. Edward comforted his daughter, “Don’t you worry honey, either a circuit was overloaded or the whole neighborhood is out. I’ll go investigate, Edward assured her, then he spoke to his son, “Evan you and your sister grab the flashlight from the drawer in the cabinet beside the TV. Grab as many candles as you can find, there should be some in the linen closets, bring them back here. “I’ll get the flashlight!” said Emma jumping up from the sofa. “I’ll get the flashlight!” Evan mimicked her voice in an exaggerated baby tone as he screwed up his face in a frown. Emma turned her head to look up at her brother seated on the sofa and stuck out her tongue in mockery. Returning to the built-in cabinet that was on the opposite side of the fireplace from the glass doors. Emma reached in and retrieved the flashlight from its usual handy spot.  Once she had it in her hand, Evan appeared behind her and tried to snatch it away; anticipating this move, she quickly maneuvered the flashlight out of his reach with a slight twist of her body. “I got it, I get to turn it on!” declared Emma. “I’m 9 and your just 7, I get to do it because I’m the oldest!” bossed Evan. “Evan, Emma, enough!” stated Edward with the clipped tone that warranted no further argument. Evan let your sister use it—“, “Aww-aah”  at the interjected vocal complaint from Evan, his father continued his instructions, “and Evan, you look for the candles while your sister holds the light for you—“, Edward was interrupted again by his son. “But why does she get to—“ started Evan. His father then cutting him off continued a little louder to be heard, said placatingly, “Because your taller and can see higher on the shelves”, “Oh all right” Evan responded dejectedly but with resigned acceptance, if not mollified by the fact that he was proclaimed the tallest. Emma was twirling from side to side, grasping the big flashlight in her small hands with satisfied amusement at having won this round.

Once all the candles were lit, they sat on the sofa. “Now what Daddy?” asked Emma as she slumped back on the sofa, feet dangling off the edge, staring up at her father.  “Yea Dad, what do we do now? I’m hungry, we didn’t even get to make the popcorn” this was Evan who was on the other side of Emma. “I know what”, their father spoke in a teasing tone, “let’s make an Emma sandwich!” he exclaimed with humor as he slid over closer to his daughter. Evan took his cue on this fun game that the three of them often played and slid over closer to his sister, both father, and son squeezing Emma in between them on the sofa. Emma did not disappoint with her squeals of laughter as they tickling her. However, this distraction only lasted a few minutes and Evan grew bored with the activity. “Seriously Dad, when is the electricity coming back on?” asked Evan. “I’m not sure buddy, there was a recording that said that they were aware of the problem and technicians are in the area working.”, Edward assured his son. “How about we turn this into an adventure?” Edward succeeded at injecting some excitement into his voice to mask his fatigue and weariness.  Ever since his wife died suddenly two years ago, he has been carrying the load of two parents while keeping morale up for the children. Edward was looking forward to a relaxing night with Evan and Emma watching a movie of their choice. And if he happened to dose off...no one complained, the children were content at having their father close by rather than working. Although Edward worked from home, he felt isolated from them behind his closed office door. Edward often felt a pang of guilt when he thought about the amount of time Evan and Emma spent with a babysitter because of his demanding job.

Emma took the bait most excitedly, “What kind of adventure?!” With her dimples on full display, Edward thought that she looked more like her mother every day.  Gaining strength from his children’s excitement he replied, “Grab the camping gear, we’re going to make hot dogs and smores outside”. Edward braced for the cheers and clobbering that he knew was coming at his declaration. After Edward endured all the shouts, cheers, and being used as a human trampoline, they set off in all directions to gather kitchen supplies, blankets, pillows, teddy bears, tents, the camping stove, and all the other camping accouterments.

One hour later the family was out in the middle of their expansive back yard, still close enough for them to go back into the house to use the half bath easily. With the four-person tent up and stadium chairs set up around the tiny camping stove, the children held their hot dogs attached to long metal skewers over the flame. “Emma, you’re letting yours burn,” Evan said. “I like it this way,” Emma said in her most dignified voice. Sitting back in his chair with a bottle of Heineken in his hand, Edward felt perfectly relaxed. He enjoyed the sibling banter between his children, only stepping in when they bordered on disrespect. “Aren’t you going to have a hot dog Dad?” asked Evan with a slight tilt to his head peering at his father expectantly. “I will in a minute, I just want to relax right now and enjoy you two”, responded his father. “I’ll make you one Daddy!” Emma spoke up with glee. “I’ll make you one Daddy” came the mimicking high-pitched singsong voice of Evan. “You’re such a goody goody,” Evan said teasingly. Edward ignoring his son’s remark to his daughter said, “You know what Emms? That sounds awesome, I’d love one”. “Want it burnt…I mean toasty like mine Daddy?” said Emma. “Yep, you know how I like’em,” said Edward. “Yep, just like me” pronounced Emma as she turned to Evan and stuck out her tongue, code for “See?!” Of course, always striving for the upper hand, her older brother not letting that slide remarked, “You just pretend to like them that way because Dad does!” Edward watching with a trained eye acted quickly to get the bickering under control, with practiced ease he silenced the sibling rivalry with a suggestion. “How about I tell the story about the time that your grand-pop and I went on a camping trip and encountered a bear?”. Satisfied that the usual effect that the promise of a story had on his children, he began his mostly true tale, adding a healthy dose of embellishment to make it more interesting.

Hours later, everything put away the family was in the tent-making shadow puppets. The children called out what animals they wanted their father to create, as they imitated their father’s movements. The pitch-black darkness surrounding them only broken by the flashlight aimed at the backdrop of the interior tent walls.  All at once, the tent became brighter as the exterior house lights came on.  There was a collective “Aww-aah” from the children. At the look of disappointment on their cherubic faces, Edward forgot about the small bit of excitement he felt at the thought of tucking the children into their beds in the now electricity restored house. He put aside the appeal of climbing into his own bed, albeit it too big and lonely without his wife. “It’s ok, we don’t have to go back into the house if you don’t want to. We can stay out here. I’ll go in and turn off those bright exterior lights while you two go in and brush your teeth and use the bathroom” Edward conceded. “Do we have to??” Evan asked wearily. “Yea Daddy, we s’pose to be roughing it like cowboys” Emma chimed. The negotiation tactics that his offspring were known for humored Edward. “And some of those cowboys didn’t have any teeth and if they did they were rotten,” said their father. “We gonna lose them and get new ones anyway” this was Evan. With a chuckle in his voice at his children’s wrangling, he stated, “Resistance is futile” in his awful imitation of the British accented Captain Piccard of Star Trek. “Come on” he cajoled as he started shuffling his children out of the tent. “The quicker we get this done the quicker we can come back and make more shadow figures. And if you don’t fool around and do a good job I’ll tell you a spooky bedtime story”, Edward offered as an incentive. “Not too scary Daddy”, stated Emma. Evan was the first one out of the flap, his movements slowing down as he crawled out, very slowly he came to a standing position. Instead of moving forward, he stood stock-still, blocking his sister and father from coming out. “Whatcha doin buddy?” asked his father with confusion. The sound of his father’s voice broke him from his trance. “Dad?... What’s happening?” Edward had never heard his son sound so frightened, there was a quaver in his young son’s voice that warned of imminent danger. His eyes had a look of shock. “What is it? What’s wrong?” his father asked with concern as he moved his son aside so that he could exit the tent. The hairs on Edward’s flesh were now standing up as he watched Evan slowly raise an arm to shoulder level and use his shaking pointer finger to indicate their house as the source of his terror. With trepidation, Edward looked in the direction that his son’s finger was pointing. There was an instant knocking in his chest as his heart slammed into high gear. His blood rushing was loud in his ears. Edward’s brain could not process what he was seeing. Emma came crawling out asking, “What’s wrong?” Then she turned her head in the direction that her father and brother were staring, she gave a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes grew wide with alarm.

Sitting on the very sofa where they sat before the electricity went off, was Edward and Evan as bookends on either side of the sofa with Emma in the middle. The family engrossed in what they were watching. Their faces serving as eerie backdrops for the reflections of the flat-screen TV.  The question is, if Edward, Evan, and Emma were out here, who were the doppelgängers in the family room?

The End