The Blackout
By NocturneD
Francine pressed the sides of her digital watch with her thumb and index finger. A small blue glow pierced the pitch darkness within the cafeteria. Her eyes fluttered as the plasma graced her face as the watch read twelve thirty four. Time has not passed nearly enough to go on about their business. Not with Mr. Haney frequently announcing over and over that the students remain at the lunch tables until the power is back on.
About that time Arthur Read found out what was poking him and grabbed the ruler before it could poke again. He hurled the piece of wood in a random direction along with a tinging sound to signify that it hit something.
"It would be kind of cool to get our school picture in the dark actually." Buster smiled.
"How would it even work? The pictures would be all black." Arthur turned to his rabbit friend, or so who he thought was Buster.
"Actually, the flash from the camera would help so that the picture would not come out so dark." Their friend Brain pointed out. "Though, really it's just a signal for the camera to go off."
"Well maybe the power will come on after this hour is over." Binky added. "By the way where is my ruler?" Arthur ignored the large boy and as much as he wanted to hit him, he probably would miss and end up hitting another kid instead.
More time passed as Francine checked her watch again. "Twelve after one PM." She told her friends still waiting in the dark. "This is stupid."
"You're preaching to the choir Francine." Brain sighed as he tried to preserve the battery on his expensive phone he received for his battery. " Another hour of this and my phone battery will be down to zero."
"CHILDREN! IF I CAN HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?" Mr. Haney announced.
"I do not know. Can you?" One student asked in a mocking tone. Soon a fit of giggles erupted within the darkness.
"May I?" Principal Haney asked.
"You may." The same student answered.
"Oh good. As I was about to say. The transformer outside is still being worked on and we should have power anytime soon." Mr. Haney explained further. "Picture day will still be on schedule."
Arthur and his friends turned their heads to look outside the lunchroom window to find a few workers outside screwing off and not doing their work. Tools were thrown about around the work area while the workers played on their cell phones or smoking cigarettes under some shelter.
"Does not look like anytime soon." Francine frowned.
"MR. HANEY SUCKS!" Shouted one student.
"Now who said that?" Mr. Haney put his hands on his hips.
"YOUR MOM!" The same student exclaimed.
"She did? Well now..." Mr. Haney adjusted his glasses.
"QUIET!" Muffy hollered. "I'm trying to read Fifty Shades of Gray on my Ipad!"
Sue Ellen stood up and quickly grabbed Muffy's piece of technology and chucked it across the lunchroom.
"HEY!" Muffy squealed.
"You'll thank me later." Sue Ellen frowned.
Meanwhile at the teachers lounge. The darkness still roamed every crack and crevice of the room. Flashlights and emergency tap lights pierced the darkness in defense of the teachers.
"What a terrible thing to happen on picture day." Miss Sweetwater proclaimed as she let the glow of her cell phone grace her face.
"Well it could be worse. Like that summer job I took up years ago when this town still had that Freddy's Fazbears Pizzeria around." Mr. Ratburn kept flickering the flashlight on and off again. "That is not a place where you want the power to go out."
"Whatever happened to that place anyway?" Mr. Margo asked while he tried to pour himself another cup of coffee with the limited light over the counter top.
"Closed down and left to rot." Mr. Ratburn felt a shiver go down his spine. "Eventually someone would try to reopen it from time to time but something would always happen. Think the new owners decided to move out west with whatever is left of the place."
"Anyone remember pogs?" A male teacher asked.
to be continued...
