No. 123

Jasper Ebb put down his sandwich to reach for the remote control. It was almost seven, and he was torn between the game on channel six, or the movie on eighteen.

The choice was made for him, however, when the power went out.

Jasper shrugged and returned to his sandwich. These blips didn’t usually last long. The electric grid in this part of town was notoriously susceptible to windstorms. This time, though, he noticed a glow out of the corner of his eye.

Once again, the sandwich was abandoned as Ebb walked to the window. He pulled open the blinds and peered at his neighbor’s house. All of their lights were on! Somehow the knowledge that the problem was his alone made Ebb determined to see the rest of the shows he’d previously had no interest in. He marched to the fuse box to see if anything had tripped.

All the switches were in the proper position. He grunted and returned to the couch.

He could not think of anything else to try. He thought briefly about calling the power company to find out what was happening, but phone calls usually made him nervous and he avoided them if at all possible. He told himself that if the power was still out in the morning, he would call then.

He still had the urge to follow the game, and had an idea. He grabbed his keys off of the neatly organized shelf in the hallway and went out to his car.

Turning the radio dial to the correct station, he leaned back in the passenger seat and closed his eyes. Then he swore under his breath. His sandwich was still inside.

He marched back towards the house. Halfway up the walk he saw why his was the only house without power.

“Well, that can’t be right,” he told himself as he read the notice posted on the front door.

Now he supposed he would have to make that call.