SOME STAYED OPEN

By Ben Greenman

from forthcoming collection, as yet untitled

First the snow came, and then came the rain, and the wet weight of it overtaxed the power lines, and a transformer on the east side of the city caught on fire, and the outage began to ripple through the neighborhood. In late afternoon, the stores crowded with busy buyers, many purchasing a variety of illuminants. By evening, fog had added to the distress of us all, accentuating the misery of the darkened streets. Without power, most shops closed at dusk. Some stayed open with candlepower, though in other cases they were deemed useless and even dangerous, such as at the paper store and the hay store. Even where candles were used, they twinkled weakly through the mist. The strangest sight was reserved for the following morning, where melted candles were set out on sidewalks, most extinguished, a few still flickering, seeming to kindle first the rising sun and then the electricity itself, which flew back into view precisely at dawn.