5 - Diego B: A Shine in the Dark

Whenever I think of flashlights, I always think of power outages for some reason. Power outages especially occur during the winter here in California, where the autumn breeze transforms into a cool, but harsh wind. The colder temperatures allow for more rain to pour on to our communities, and it can frequently rain for days at a time. It seems nice from the inside of my house, but it causes more issues than I would wish. The wind and rain come to the point where we lose access to all our internet, and our power. Obviously having no power sucks; it especially sucks right before an important assignment is due online. I’m sure that everybody in AP Lang 4th period remembers when they lost their power the night before their REHUGO project was due. I lost my power the night before my exams were ready—I was understandably furious when I heard that only 400 out of 100,000 people in Vacaville experienced this outage. When the outages arrive, which happens most frequently during the night, the air conditioner allows for no air to flow through our rooms, and the night is often cold and quiet. I can’t fall asleep during an outage, and I watch videos very sparsely to conserve power through wireless internet. Our hallways are very dark, but I keep a flashlight with me in case a power outage happens. It’s the only thing that I keep with me that stays with me during a power outage—it’s especially helpful when I’m trying to eat. For the short time that I turn on my flashlight, I can see what my house looks like and experience what the day looks like when there is light. The power outages are annoying, but at least I got my flashlight with me. (299 words)