"Technology Timeout” by Bhairav Dhar: Apr. 2024 2nd Place

When I woke up on Monday and looked at my alarm clock, I instantly knew something was wrong. My alarm clock is usually ringing by now, but the time wasn’t showing for some reason. It was blank.

So I got out of bed and tried turning the light on, but it didn’t light up. So, I got up and checked my watch, which luckily wasn’t electronic. It was already 7:27! I quickly brushed my teeth and went downstairs for breakfast. When I got down, my parents were running around getting everything ready. Then my dad asked me, “What happened to the electricity?!?!” “I don’t know!” I shouted back.

Then, when I tried plugging in the toaster to make breakfast, the toaster wouldn’t turn on. So, I changed my clothes, ate breakfast, then went to school. Luckily, the buses still worked. When I got to school, all people talked about was how the electricity was off. Even our teacher was complaining. At school, we just read with the windows open because the computers didn’t work.

Once I got home, I went out to play because our homework was electronic. When I went to bed, I wished that the electricity would be normal when I woke up. When I woke up, everything was back to normal. Even the toaster and my alarm clock worked (my clock didn’t show the right time).

I survived one day without electricity, and I didn’t think I could survive another.