The Mysterious Cities of Light: Abnormal Circumstances

Chapter 4 - Lights Go Out

Crazy. That's precisely the word preschool teachers used when they were referring to me during breaks, as I was repeatedly pacing from one side of the playground to the other. What they didn't know is that my brain was actively trying to crack the power grid's regulation mechanisms. Liam Blake, a senior engineer at the energy company and, more importantly, my late father, had spent the entire evening explaining to me how electricity was flowing through the large copper wires hanging in the air. From generators to distribution points, he spared no details in attempting to satisfy my curiosity.

Would any of my teachers at the time had witnessed what happened at the party yesterday, they'd have used that awful word against me once more. Crazy, as a stark reminder of how our society deals with "marginal cases." Dad would have come back, recalling them that they owe most of their daily comfort to the greatest minds among us. Then, he would have noted that children represent our future, not our failures. Especially at the age of five!

Although when I look in the mirror, I often see some kind of mad genius. The recent power outage, consequence of my frenetic week-long work, only adds to the chaotic depth of the picture. All in all, my portrait does appear frightening. That's how I deduced that the word "crazy" sometimes really means "I'm afraid of you."

"So it was you! Dude, you blacked out the whole town!" remarks Asa as he rubs Chloe—the car.

"Yeah, I know. I was worried this would happen. Fortunately, I was able to get the singer's name before the power went out. So I guess it was worth the risk."

"So what's that name?"

"Zachary."

Asa whistles.

"Well done, Einstein! Lucky for you, everybody thinks it's the light show that caused a surge. Although it's not great news for your boss, it shields you from lawsuits brought by the electric company."

"My dad was working for them as an engineer. I figured that I could leverage some of that if they decided to come after me."

"Practical!"

I laugh.

"Man, today's hot!"

I put my left hand on my forehead as a cap against the blinding sun.

"Yeah. The forecast announced 70, but it sure feels at least like 90!"

Asa finishes polishing the headlights of his Mustang, and straightens up.

"So, now that you know his name, what's next?"

I haven't thought about that yet.

"First, I'll need to repair the controller—the excessive heat fried the power circuit. I'll also throttle the process, to make sure it never happens again. Then, I would likely search for his other songs, and perhaps his biography."

I sigh.

"To be honest, I thought it would bring me something. All I got is a name. A plain sequence of characters."

According to Dr. Sun, I should follow Zachary's voice towards the "Cities of Light." I placed a lot of hope in learning his identity, assuming it would give me a clue as to what she meant by that. Well, the mystery remained intact and I'm back to square one. I wonder why she keeps on refusing to provide more explanation, telling me to "figure it out on my own." Maybe it's just one of her tricks to force me out of my solitude. If that's true, it's working very well!

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I guess all I was really looking for is a friend who's been through the same pain, who could understand... me."