text: Lights Outs The only thing that got Ried moving that morning was his mother shouting about how he never does anything. “Worthless child,” she’d called him. “Yes, Mother,” he mumbled as he rolled out of bed. It was another school morning for the high school freshman. He worked part time after school every day to pay the bills for his disabled mother and she still didn’t appreciate or love him. “Good morning, Mother,” Ried said to her as he walked into the living room, seeing his mother laying on the couch. “I want breakfast!” She shouted at him. She weighed an easy three hundred pounds while he was lean and muscular. It didn’t look as though they were related. His green eyes were contrasted with his dirty blonde hair while his mother, on the other hand, was a brunette with chocolate brown eyes. He had the voice of an angel while hers was loud and obnoxious sounding. “Yes, Mother,” Ried said mournfully. If only I didn’t have to do as she says... He thought to himself. “Mother, what do you want this morning?” He slipped on his apron and began to wash his hands waiting for his mother to respond. She went downhill when his father died. She gained two hundred pounds and began abusing her son. She could no longer work as she gained so much, so Ried had to make the money for them. He had to pay the bills and buy everything his mother asked him for with his measly paycheck. “Pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits.” She responded after some thought. “Yes, Mother,” Ried said from the kitchen. “Anything else, Mother?” “Orange juice,” the woman sneered. “Of course, Mother,” he sighed. “I don’t like that tone, worthless child,” she said with authority in her voice. “Yes, Mother. I apologize, Mother,” he said as he began breakfast, starting with the pancakes from scratch. “Mother, what would you do if there was a citywide power outage that last for quite a long time?” “Hah? I’d move to another city and leave you behind here so that I don’t have to take care of you anymore!” She responded. So all I need to do is cause a power outage citywide and mother will leave? She can’t live without electricity for more than an hour. He thought. So I could be rid of you... Mother... “Mother, breakfast is almost ready,” Ried put the food on a tray and carried it into the living room and set them on the table in front of his mother. “Mother, I have to leave for school now. Here’s the money for you to order lunch.” He handed her fifty dollars, knowing she wouldn’t accept anything less than that. “I need more than this, you idiot!” She screamed seeing only fifty dollars. “Yes, Mother,” he handed her another fifty. “That’s more like it!” She glared at him. “Now her going, I’m tired of seeing your ugly mug.” “Yes, Mother.” He had a melancholy look on his face. Ried left to go back to his room and get dressed. “Mother, why do you hate me?” He said aloud. He dressed quickly and walked outside to his bike. It was old and run down, but he didn’t have anything else. He rode to his friend’s house, like he did every morning, and used the shower. He couldn’t take one at home, his mother would yell at him. “Ried,” Max, his best friend, walked into the dining room where Ried was sitting, eating a bowl of cereal. “Yeah, Max?” He said. “When are you finally gonna leave that house? Diana doesn’t deserve you. You do too much for her. You know that, right?” “Yeah, but what can I do? She’s my mother.” “She’s an obese pig who takes advantage of you, Ried,” Max stated. “She’s still my-” “Your mother, yes, I know, man. But that doesnt mean you should let her treat you this way. And I’m gonna be a senior next year, I won’t be able to help you as much with all the extra work they’re gonna give me. You know that.” “Yeah, but it’s not like...” Ried said slowly. “It’s not like what, man?” “I got an idea.” “Alright, continue...” “Y’know how the lights at school when out because someone tripped the breaker?” “Yeah, what about it? That was just last week...” “Well, I was thinking about that when I was making breakfast for Mother this morning. I asked her what she would do if there was a citywide power outage that lasted a long time. And you know that by my mother’s standards, just two hours is too long to be without power. She said that she’s move out of the city and leave me behind so that she wouldn’t have to take care of me anymore. So, what if, just what if , I caused a citywide power outage that lasted say, I don’t know, a day? She’s be gone and I’d be free.” “Ried, my man, you’re a genius!” “I have straight A’s and only AP classes, I think I know that, Max.” “Yes, I know that. And anyway, bro, we should’ve thought of this ages ago!” Max slapped his friend on the back. “I know.” Ried smiled. “Wait, look at the time, I gotta go! I don’t want to be late! Bye, Max.” Ried grabbed his backpack and ran out the door. “Oh, did he leave already?” Max’s little sister, whowas in the same grade as Ried, came down the stairs. “Sorry, Viola. He’s gone.” “Hah,” Viola saighed. “I wanted to see him before he left...” “You shouldn’t have taken so long to get ready then, Vi.” “But, Max, you know I want to look good for him. Couldn’t you have stalled him for just a bit?” “Hey, I tried. I got him ranting about his mother for a bit, but you know how he his. He’d rather die than be late for school. And you know he hasd to work afterwards.” “I know,” Viola sighed again. “But I really wanted to see him and talk to him and-” “Tell him how you feel?” Maz interrupted her. “No!” She shouted, “Maybe...” After Ried got finished at work, he went over to Max’s house. After, of course, calling and telling his mother that he had to work late and wouldn’t be home for a while longer. “Alright, Max, let’s make the plan,” Ried set his backpack down in the seat next to him at the table. “Yeah,” Max got a notebook and pen out. “Alright, so we know the power plant is on the other side of town from where you and I live, so we’re not gonna have much time. I think you’ll have to call in sick to both work and school that day. When are we gonna do it anyway?” “No later than next week.” Ried said. “We’ll need to disable the security camera’s at the plant, but I got that.” “What y’all working on?” Viola appeared behind them. “Nothing, go away,” Max blew her off. “Hold on, Max, we could use all the help we can get,” Ried pointed out. “Ugh, true. Okay, but Viola, you have to promise to never tell anyone. EVER.” “I swear to never tell; cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” “...okay...” Max said hesitantly. “We’re gonna cause a citywide power outage so that Ried’s mom will move and he’ll be free of her.” “I’m in.” Viola said. “I’m head of the gymnastics team, you could use my help.” “It’s true, we could,” Ried shrugged. “So, here’s the plan...” he explained everything to them. The three of them spent the week getting everything they needed. Well, Max and Viola anyway. Ried had to work and take care of his mother. “Ried,” Max started, “I know I’m asking this day of, but what about the back up generators?” “Already taken care of.” Ried gave his best friend a thumbs up. “We have everything that we’re gonna need to love without electricity for a week. We have to give my mother plenty of time to get packed and out of the house. She hasn’t driven in a year, though, so I don’t know how that’s gonna go...” “Don’t worry, Ried,” Viola put a hand on his shoulder, “it’ll all work out, I just know it.” “I hope so...” He sighed. “I already hacked into the security footage and put it on a loop. No one will ever know we were here. Everyone got gloves?” “Yeah,” Max and Viola said together. “Alright then, here we go,” In the next few minutes, they’d managed to shut off the power using a strand Ried had spent the week secretly cultivating in his AP chemistry class. He released the strand into the power generators while Max and Viola stood guard. After that, the three of them set off to manually shut off the power. Ried messed around with a few things to make sure the power couldn’t be turned for a week. The back up generators had already been taken offline as well. They wouldn’t be working anytime soon. They got in and out as quick as possible. After the ordeal was over, they all went over to Max’s house for a little celebration supper, then Ried headed home on his bike, a little more energetic than usual. His mother was frantic when he got home. “The power is off! I can’t turn anything on!” and of course, Ried had a battery powered radio that he turned on so his mother could hear the news about the citywide power outage. “This is Jakob Giani from Channel-” it cut out a bit, “news. We have just gotten word that there-” it cut off again, “citywide power outage. Power plant workers have confirmed that they have no way-” the old radio stopped once again, “online for another week at least until they figure out the problem. Once again this is Ja-” Diana threw the radio across the room, causing it to break. “That’s it, I’m leaving. You, worthless child, get my bags packed. Now!” “Yes, Mother,” Ried left to go to his mother’s room and packed her clothes and other necessities. He was finished within the hour. “Mother, your bags.” “Put them in ther car, you idiot!” She yelled at him as she struggeled to stand up. By the time he was back inside, she was standing and making her way to her car keys. “Mother, what about-” “No way am I taking a useless child like you along! You’re staying!” “Yes, Mother,” he said, dejected. This was what he wanted, but it still felt terrible to hear his own mother say that about him. “Goodbye. Mother...” Diana was gone and a week later, thre was power again. Ried had cleaned up the house and gotten on with his life. Everything that was once his mother’s was thrown away. He continued to work hard and pay bills, but now he had more money to spare. No one, except for Max and Viola, had even noticed that he was living on his own. He’d begun a new life without his abusive mother. It was all because of a power outage. It was because the lights were out.