57. He woke up. He went into the bathroom and turned on the light. Nothing happened. He used the tankless toilet. It wouldn't flush. He turned on the water to wash his hands in the sink. No water came out—no hot, no cold.

He went back into the combination living room/bedroom/kitchen of his studio apartment. He opened the blinds to let more sunlight in. He went to the refrigerator and opened the freezer door. The food in the freezer was cold, but not frozen. He opened the refrigerator door. The light didn't go on. The food was still cold. He turned on the kitchen water. Nothing came out.

None of the lights worked. The TV and his radio didn't work. His computer didn't work. His cell phone didn't work. He looked out the window. Vehicles were moving on the street below, but nobody was gassing up at the corner gas station. Drivers were honking madly at one another in the intersection. The traffic lights weren't working. What in the world is going on, he wondered.

Just then, he saw the traffic lights start working. He heard his refrigerator motor kick in. Two lights came on in his apartment. He tried the water. It was working in both the kitchen and bathroom. He turned his TV on to a 24/7 news station. They were reporting the sudden end of a nationwide electricity shutdown. They were trying to contact mayors, governors, Capitol Hill, and government agencies as to what had caused the shutdown. They were trying to determine if the President was going to make a nationwide speech about the shutdown. Meanwhile, they speculated among one another about the who, what, when, where, why, and how. 4.2, 288