Powerless

Thursday September 8, 2011, approximately 3:40pm:

At my desk at work, frantically working on a spreadsheet to see if the formulas were perhaps outdated, thus explaining why it didn't match the documents I'd pulled from Innovation.

Suddenly the desk fan to my left sped up with the higher-pitched whine of an electrical device being force-fed a surge of additional power.  One second.  Two seconds....  then it died, simultaneously along with my computer screen and all the other humming electronic "creatures" on the floor.

~

The parking structure was jammed with cars.  Everyone had suddenly thought... "power's out... computer's down... time to go home".  Of course the traffic lights were all out too, outside the campus, and so the surrounding streets were filled with polite, one-at-a-time creeping drivers.

Wearying of the conversation with my co-workers who had stayed behind to wait out the traffic storm, I took a walk along Northside Drive.

Suddenly I saw the yellow and black flash of a beautiful butterfly, a very large thing that reminded me of a tiger.

As it floated down to a blossom, and then seemingly "pumped" up the nectar by fanning its wings, I thought:

"His power is on!"

~

Sitting outside with Wendy, a wind-up radio sitting on the concrete with the news on, we enjoyed the darkening sky.  Up above, the moon seemed to get brighter as everything else dimmed.  Suddenly it seemed very bright indeed.

"The moon is 'back' on!" I uttered, nonsensically.

~  

We'd heard that Target stores were open during the power outtage.  Curious, we grabbed a flashlight and ventured down the road to see.

The parking lot was dark.  However, the faintly visible large number of automobiles glimmering in the luna light betrayed the yet-beating heart of our favorite neighborhood "big box" store.

Bless Target.