Lights Out

“I don’t know why they do this,” Daniel said.

“What do you mean?” asked Paige.

“I was happy with the way things were, I don’t get it,” he said. Daniel sat, slumped on his couch scrolling through his feed occasionally stopping to read some mundane article that would briefly catch his attention.

Paige was in the kitchen unloading the last few bags of groceries.

“I don’t know,” she said, “I kind of enjoy it”.

“It brings a kind of calmness to life, and slows things down,” said Paige. “Honestly I wish it would last a little longer.”

Daniel glanced over at Paige, “you’re crazy,” he said.

“Well, it’s happening whether you like it or not, and you’ve got 3 days so you might as well start getting ready,” said Paige.

It was the third year of an implemented worldwide event; Blackout. A 14-day period where the worlds internet connections, streaming services and social media platforms were shut down to the public. At night, the only visible lights were the necessary traffic and street lights. Only Emergency services and select grocery stores and necessary retail stores were allowed to remain open. If you weren’t essential to human survival, you were closed for two weeks. The only thing smart phones were good for were making phone calls and gps services. People all over the world were forced to disconnect, and reconnect with their own humanity.

When the Blackout event was announced four years ago, naturally there was backlash worldwide. Social media feeds were flooded with fear mongering, anger and conspiracies. News outlets were debating the reasons for the event, further fueling the fire of the worldwide uproar. However, there were plenty of people that welcomed the idea of it. Mostly people that were born prior to and grew up before internet and social media took over. It was a chance for them to relive the nostalgic feelings of their childhoods.

World leaders realized that for our species to move forward, we must put differences behind us and pressure off of us. They unanimously decided that shutting down the internet and other power sources would not only take pressure off our natural resources but give the people of our world a chance to slow down and be the humans we were meant to be. The idea was to give them a chance to reset, reconnect with their own humanity and hopes it would bring us one step closer to peace. You see, we weren’t meant to know what someone a thousand miles away was doing or thinking. Having the world at our fingertips is both catastrophic and beneficial at the same time. But for years, we ignored the consequences of the former.

Daniel and Paige decided to get a place together after high school. Just a year before the announcement of the first Blackout. They’d known each other since grade school, and they had the type of friendship that most married couples would envy. Paige was the type with her head always in the clouds. She had a vivacious, lively energy about her. The type of energy that would draw attention whenever she entered the room, but in a good way. She daydreamt of other worlds, imagined traveling and experiencing everything that this life had to offer. Paige lived her life living in every moment. She was a waitress and went to work every day happy, knowing that she gets to talk to and meet people from all different walks of life.

Daniel had a different energy about him, and another outlook on life. He embraced the world as it is, and is comfortable with things just the way they are. The technology he grew up with were tools for him to connect to the world and make something of himself. Some would say he’d wasted so much time online, scrolling, interacting, reading and researching, but that’s not the way he sees it.

Daniel stood on the roof of his apartment, cold beer in hand gazing off at the tall buildings lighting up the horizon. He knew that the drumming noise of the traffic down below would soon come to a halt.

“One more hour,” he whispered to himself.

Paige opened the door to the roof and sat down beside him, “are you ready?”, she asked.

“I guess as ready as I’ll ever be,” he responded.

Paige stood next to Daniel, beer in hand, “I know you don’t like it Danny,” she said.

“But think of this as a way to let go of things, and let yourself reconnect with the people you love, on a real level,” said Paige.

“The internet, social media, it’s not real Danny.”

Danny listened to this knowing that the only one he truly loved was standing right next to him. But he thought of the promise he made to himself to not risk their friendship.

You’re the only one I love.

“It’s real to me though,” he said, swallowing the words he just thought to himself.

“I guess I just don’t know how to connect with people the way you do.”

Paige took his hand, “Humanize them. Look at them the way you look at yourself.”

The city went dark. Skyscrapers that once lit up the horizon were now just silhouettes in the vast dark sky. A first quarter moon and a billion new stars lit up the night and an eerie silence took over the city. Daniel both admired the beauty of the scene but couldn’t help but think of and worry about what the next two weeks held in store.

Now back in the apartment, Daniel sat on the couch and stared through the black mirror in front of him. Paige was already in a book, contempt as if nothing had changed.

“You know what?” she said slamming her book shut, “let’s go for a walk.”

“Right now?” he asked.

“Come walk with me Danny.”

Daniel stood up and went to grab his phone.

“Leave it,” she said, “you don’t need it anymore.”

They walked together towards a nearby park, the streets were quiet and warmly lit only by streetlights. Daniel could tell that Paige was enjoying every moment of this. But his mind he couldn’t escape from the fact that he had lost connection to everything. His identity, his online friends and the people that appreciate him for the person they think he is. Out of habit he reached into his pocket for his phone only to remember he left it back in the apartment.

Paige noticed this and let out a quiet chuckle, “I saw that”.

“How do you do it? How are you able to just, be ok with the this?” he asked.

“Danny, humans have survived a millennia without phones, connection to the world outside of ours and without electricity.”

“I believe that these two weeks are meant to help us remember who, and what we are,” she said.

“Social media was a gift, but it also took something from us.”

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.

They found a park bench that faced a nearby grocery store and sat down.

“Whenever you’re talking to people online, how do you see them?”

Daniel thought about it for a moment, “I guess I’ve never thought about it, but I don’t really see them. I just see words on a screen.”

“Exactly,” she said. Paige nodded her head towards some people across the street, “Now look at these people over there, by the store. What do you see?”

“Just, people.” Daniel said.

“Now look a little deeper. Don’t look at them on a surface level,” Paige said.

“Look at their faces, give them names, put yourself in their shoes and imagine yourself going home to their families,” she paused, “humanize them”.

Daniel took a moment, watching them, and thought back on how he’s kept himself distant from other people his whole life. He remembered how his parents never emotionally connected with him, and never showed him how to show, or receive love. He thought about how he used social media to form connections to people, because it was easier, and safer. He thought about how, and why he kept himself at a safe distance from Paige.

“This year, I want you to look at the Blackout through rose colored glasses,” Paige said.

“I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know how,” he replied.

“It’s ok. I’ll teach you.” said Paige.

“Look around at the darkness of the city. How does that make you feel?” she asked.

Daniel looked around, observing the darkness and identifying the fear in his gut.

“I don’t know, kind of scared,” he said.

“Ok, now look up,” she said. “Now how do you feel?”

Daniel looked up, millions of stars filled the sky, “it’s beautiful,” he said.

“But how does it make you feel?” Paige asked.

“Don’t just look at them, look beyond them. Think about the sheer size of the universe compared to us.” , “do you really think we were put here to work till we die? Do you really think we are supposed to worry about what someone we will never meet thinks about us?”

“I guess not,” Daniel said.

Paige asked again, “now Daniel, how do you feel?”

“I feel, peaceful.”

“That’s rose colored glasses,” she said. “To find the light in darkness.”

They walked back home to turn in for the night. Daniel laid in his bed thinking about the words that Paige said to him on that bench. He thought about what it meant to humanize other people, and not just see them through the blue light on his screen.

Over the course of the next 12 days, they spent time together eating, talking, reading, painting and walking the city. Paige had showed him what it was like to live as a real human being, without connection to the outside world. There was still a part of Daniel that was craving the dopamine hits of seven second videos and debating world affairs with strangers in Facebook groups. He missed it. He missed the feeling of trying to prove people wrong and himself right.

The morning of day 14 finally arrives, and the world is set to reconnect at noon. Daniel woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs and pancakes, a favorite of his as a kid. Paige, wearing loose pajama pants, a baggy t-shirt and a messy bun greeted him with a hot cup a coffee. He couldn’t help but think to himself how beautiful she looked. She smiled at him and slid his plate across the kitchen bar. Daniel knew he had fallen more in love with her, she had shown him how to live, and finally put his walls down. She was perfect.

”Are you ready for the world to turn back on?” Paige asked.

“I’m actually not sure,” he responded.

“Danny, I’ve got something I need to tell you,” she said. Her voice wasn’t the usual upbeat, and happy tone.

“What is it?”

“Sit down with me,” she took Daniel’s hand and looked at him. “I’m leaving.”

“What? Why?”, he said. “Where are you going?”

“Today. After the event is over, and I want you to come with me,” Paige said.

“Where are you going? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Daniel said.

“I was afraid to say anything, and I just kept putting it off. I’m sorry.”

“I’m going north, close to the border. Theres a small town up there that’s completely disconnected.” Paige said.

“There’s no internet, no social media, no one cares about politics, it’s just people living and thriving together, as humans,” she continued, “the way it should be.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore; I don’t want to have to wait a year to feel alive for two weeks.”

“Come with me, please.”

“Paige, I… I can’t” Daniel replied. “This is my home. Everything I have is here. My life.”

“Danny we can start a new life. I saw something in you in these past two weeks that I’ve never seen before. You were happy, I felt a connection with you. We were happy.” Paige said.

“I actually felt, you.”

Daniel stood up from the couch, “I don’t know if I can do that Paige.”

“Everything I have is here. Everything I am is here.” He walked towards the door and looked back at Paige, “I need a minute Paige.’

On the roof he stood in same spot he was in just two weeks ago, overlooking the city waiting for it to shut down. Only this time he was waiting for it to turn on.

“One more hour,” he whispered to himself.

He thought about what his life would be without Paige. Then thought about life without access to the world. He thought about whether his life would be any different if he stayed. It wouldn’t, it would be exactly the same, except this time he’d be alone without the woman he’s loved since childhood.

Paige walked up behind him and set her phone on the ledge.

“Give me your phone,” she said.

Daniel gave it to her and she set it on the ledge. She took him by the hand, “I know it’s a big decision, I know I’m asking a lot of you.” Paige squeezed his hand, “But Danny, I love you. I have for a long time, I was just too afraid to say anything.”

“I want to have this life with you. Not by myself, not with someone else, but with you,” she said.

Daniel ‘s stomach sank and his heart stopped. He found himself fighting back a tear and swallowed back a shudder of emotion.

“Paige, I love you too. I’ve loved you for so long, ever since we were kids.” He put his hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes, just the way he looked up into the stars the very first night of the Blackout. She was beauty encompassed. Staring into her eyes, he realized she was everything, and the only thing he needed. She was his universe.

They embraced, and for the very first time in their lives together they kissed.

“Ok Paige,” Daniel said with a smile, “let’s go live.”

From the author

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