2013: A New Beginning

I never thought that day would come. All of my favorite things… gone. Only a shell was left of the meaning inside them. Has that day changed my life for the good? I guess I'll never know. Fear and anger had clouded my mind.

***

Sitting on my bright blue sofa, I glance outside the window, not noticing the tree we own is looking bare from winter. I look back down at my glowing iPhone. Bright colors glare at me, and I fall, as if in a trance, back into my video game. The game is called Candy Mania. I own a virtual candy shop and spend every free minute on decorating my walls pink and cooking up new candies on that game. My parents don't even really mind, as long as I get pretty good grades and do my homework.


After texting a hello to my friend, I get up, stretch, and turn off my phone. I grip my phone and trudge sleepily to the computer room. "Hi, Ava," my brother, Joey, grumbles as he clicks on a video on his computer. Joey never gets off that thing. That computer is his life.


I tiredly look outside at the bright fall day. Just as I'm about to sit down and turn on my computer, the sky turns pitch black and the light in the room goes out. Turning to my brother as the light outside appears again, I notice his computer screen is black. Joey frustratedly clicked his mouse.


Clicking the "turn on" button to my computer, I realize my computer isn't working either. And my phone. In panic, I run around the house trying to turn on technology. Nothing, not even my portable videogame, works. My mom bumps into me as I run around the house. "Ava, is something wrong?" I nod. "Nothing is working. My phone, the TV… nothing." She sighs. "Did you hold the power button long enough?" My mom asks as she walks away.


How can this be happening? Seeing others outside, I run to the door. As the doorknob makes a loud click, I march outside. My dad is talking to the neighbors. "Weird solar flare?" I heard him guess.


"Dad, check your phone." "What?" "Do it," I urge. He, confused, opens his cell phone to find that it isn't working.


What is going on?


My family and our neighbors soon find out that nothing electrical is working. Devastated, Joey paces around grumbling about how 2013 is too late to be the end of the world. I panick. I can't even turn on the TV to see if this is on the news.

***

That day was the beginning of something new.


Somehow, the world's electricity had gone. Humans struggled to contact friends without their car and phone.


It's been a month, and I think I can say we are happy.


Without the distractions of electronics, people got closer to others at work and school. I talk now to my friend, not only text her. Concentrating on schoolwork has also improved my grades.


You could say that I do miss my games and apps. Dictionaries aren't as good as Google. But I've realized how much of the beautiful world I've missed while plugged into that other world.


And I'm happy.