There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

Speculation was rife, and all kinds of theories were going around. Amateurs. To be fair, I guess you can’t blame them—this was unexpected, and the cause is still unknown. Spain and Portugal had no power, and no one knew why. 

As a South African with over 15 years' experience on loadshedding (rolling blackouts, for the uninitiated), I kept calm and carried on: played backgammon in the square outside our building and had a few beers. Apocalyptic chatter buzzed around us—people talking about stocking up on food, others repeating wildly differing stories from the radio (the only source of news; RIP Orson Welles, you would’ve loved this). Ten hours later, the power came back, and life resumed as if nothing had happened.