New Year's Eve Blackout

It's New Year's eve 2011 in the city of Bristol New York. Everyone has gathered in the square to watch the New Years' ball drop. Erica and Blake Shields and all of their friends came to celebrate the occasion. There are all sorts of activities around. Food trucks, people dancing in costumes, and waitresses passing around alcoholic beverages in tall glasses. The countdown begins with the New Year. People are counting as the ball began to fall slowly. Amid the count down a transformer explodes and sparks of fire and smoke go flying all over the sky. The sparks began to rain down on the pedestrians in the streets. The entire city of Bristol goes into complete darkness. People began to panic and some of them began to scream. The announcers come on to tell people not to panic and stay where they are. Erica reaches into her fanny pouch and looks for her phone. She finds it and turns on the light. Blake already has his out with the light on and searches for the people in their group.

"Everyone gather around here please," said Blake

"Is everyone okay?" asks Erica.

The friends began to gather around each other. All that could be seen in the darkness, were people holding their phones for lights.

"Wait a minute," said Erica. "Someone is missing".

"Where is April?" asked Blake.

Their friend April had wandered off somewhere lost in the crowd. Some policemen were called to the square to keep order because of the blackout. Blake went up to one of the officers explaining that their friend April was missing.

"What was she wearing? said the officer.

"A black jacket, white blouse, and faded jeans," said Erica.

The friends and the officer began looking through the crowd to find April. There was a woman there with a black jacket on in the crowd talking to some men. When the officer touched her shoulder and she turned around it wasn't April. Some of the people in the crowd began to get rowdy. They had been drinking alcohol for much of the night. The policemen began separating people and telling them to go home.

"You all need to go home," said the officer. 

"What about our Friend April?" said Erica.

"Don't worry we'll find her," said the officer.

The friends got into Blake's minivan and headed for their apartment. The lights were still out and the street was empty. Erica called April's phone and it went straight to voice mail. She left her a message telling her to please call her back soon. Blake went into the kitchen and found some emergency candles. It was a somber evening. Erica had an idea of playing a board game to get their minds off being worried. She went into the closet and found a mystery game. There was a long table that was in the living room. They all gathered on the floor around the table and started to play the game. Erica's phone started to ring. She ran to the counter and picked it up. When she answered her phone, it was her mother.

"Hi mom," said Erica.

"How are you doing sweetheart?" asked Mom.

"We're all doing okay mom," said Erica. 

Erica's mom heard about the blackout in the square and wanted to know if they were okay. Erica told her mom about April getting lost crowd. Her mother assured her that April would turn up and not to worry and told her that she would talk to her later. Blake went into the kitchen to put together some snacks for everyone to eat. There was water and soda pop in the fridge to drink. He gathered everything up and brought them into the living room. The group hadn't eaten anything since earlier that day and they were starving. There was a knock at the door. Blake looked out the window. Standing there on the front porch was April and her older brother Kenneth.

"You had us worried to death," said Blake

"I tried to call," said April. " My damn phone battery died on me."

"We're just glad you're alright," said Erica.

The friends all gathered and hugged April. They were glad that nothing bad had happened to her. April explained that her brother Allen and sister-in-law Rachel had come to town to surprise her parents for their anniversary. April didn't know they were even in town. When she saw her brother at the ball dropping, she just left with him. She completely forgot to call and let them know where she was. When she got back to her parents' house she tried to call but her phone battery died. Her parents didn't have service to their phones because of the blackout. There was a buzzing sound and the lights were restored to the apartment. Lights illuminated all around the city. It was New Year's day 2011. Blake went to the fridge and found a bottle of wine. The friends opened and toasted to the new year. April's brother told the friends that he and his wife were expecting their first baby.

"Congratulations man," said Blake.

"Thank you, " said Allen

After all the excitement, the rest of the friends went back to their apartments. When everyone had left, Erica called the policeman and let him know April was no longer missing. She and Blake began to clean up the mess of snacks and paper cups that their friends had left on the table.

They tossed out the old used candles and put the rest back into the counter kitchen countertop. Blake opened up the back door and took out the trash. He and Erica decided to spend the rest of their new years in their bed watching western movies and eating strawberry ice cream.

"I hope next New Year isn't this exciting," said Erica.

"I don't think anything could top this one," said Blake.

The couple decided next New Year they would spend it on a cruise to the Caribbean together without any of their friends. While they're on the cruise if someone does come up missing it won't be anyone they know.