We drove by the house again tonight in hopes that we might finally be able to return to our own bed. Again, we were met with only stony silence and a very cold house. Driving home we spotted a full crew of workers from City Light. They were but a block from our home and it looked like they were going to go up the pole and do something. What, we really did not care. After three days of living and sleeping in the Abbey, any sort of power related progress was a welcome sight. Lacking anything more entertaining to do, we parked a safe distance away and watched them work from inside the warmth of out car.

Trucks pulled up, workers milled about, supervisors supervised and eventually two brave (and very tired looking) souls climbed into the basket and rose up to the address the wayward power pole. Wires were twisted; items replaced and important looking things were checked and re-checked. The hope in our chest rose as the streetlights began to flicker on after so many days dormant. Homes began to come alight and we let out an involuntary cheer as it looked like soon our lives would also return to some relative state of normal.

Then in an instant the space where the top of the pole used to be was replaced by a huge, blinding flash of blue white light. Sparks exploded in every direction as bits of ceramics came screaming to earth like Fourth of July fireworks. Tambo says it was sparks, I say it was fire, but whatever it was it filled the night sky for an instant and was gone with a sudden KER-BLAM!

Then we heard the shouting.

“I’m cool, I’m cool. Damnit! I hate it when that happens!” Came from the men in the basket. Either by miracle or this happens more than one might think, nobody was hurt. The workers calmly un-did the wiry bits and then lowered themselves to the ground.

Perhaps we will not have power tonight. However in a stroke of karmic payback, those houses on my block with the Christmas lights? You know, the ones who left them on all weekend as if to mock those of us still in the dark? Yep, they are now in the dark as well.