Continuous Writing - A Blackout

I was watching my favourite programme on television when I heard a loud knock on the door. As I walked to the door, there was a power failure and my house was in total darkness.

No one was at home. The volume of the television was tuned to the maximum. I was watching my favourite television programme, "The American Idol". The singer had just ended his rendition and my favourite part of the show, the judges' comments, was coming up next.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Someone was rattling hard at the door. I was irritated. "Why must you choose to come at this hour?!" I cursed. Reluctantly, I stood up and walked to the door, my eyes still glued to the TV screen.

As I was on the way to the door, the TV screen became fuzzy and the lights in the house flickered. I thought I heard something snap and an uproar from the neighbourhood. The next moment, my house was plunged into total darkness. There was a blackout!

Blackness enveloped the whole house. I could not see a thing but a cloak of darkness before my eyes. Groping my way to the door, I almost tripped over a toy car left on the floor. Luckily, I managed to regain my balance in time.

"Who's that?" I asked as I looked out of the window. A rare sight greeted me. Never had I seen the whole neighbourhood bathed in such gloom. Some households already had their candles lit up. I craned my head and asked again, "Who's that?"

To my surprise, I saw the silhouette of my best friend, Harry. "Harry! What brought you here?" I opened the door and let him in. He did not answer me. That was strange. Harry was usually chirpy and bubbly. He was never quiet. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I was shocked to see a tear-streaked Harry.

"What happened, Harry? Were you crying?” I asked, concerned.

"My computer crashed and all my efforts in the Social Studies project have gone down the drain. I don't think I have enough time to re-do. The deadline is tomorrow," Harry blurted, stopping only twice to catch his breath.

"Oh dear! Do you think you should explain to Ms Lim and ask her to extend the deadline? I am sure she will understand,” I suggested.

Holding his head in his hands, Harry looked helpless. I wanted very much to help him but there was nothing I could do as there was a power failure. Thinking hard, I suddenly had the most brilliant idea in the world.

"Harry!!" my eyes glinted in excitement. "You don't have to use the computer to do this project. Don't you think a hand-written piece of work cannot be more appropriate for this topic, "Power Supply in Singapore"?"

My words struck Harry like a bolt of lightning. He perked up and requested for paper and pen. I delightfully offered him. In the candlelight flame, I watched him work on his project with gusto and pride. He whistled a breath of relief after his last line. It was almost midnight.

"Thank you, pal, for the suggestion! I won't be able to hand in my work on time if not for you," he gave me a pat on my shoulder. I grinned.

As we were packing up, a loud roar of cheers filled the air. The lights flickered back to life. The day ended perfectly well with the electricity restored and our friendship strengthened.