short fiction · 2026-10-26

Power Restored

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

The fridge sighs first — a low shudder in the kitchen walls. Then the water heater groans, pipes expanding like old joints. The router blinks awake, its blue pulse searching. Somewhere a hard drive spins up, whispering its index. The thermostat clicks. The dishwasher dreams of steam. Even the microwave's clock flashes 12:00, 12:00, 12:00 — a small amnesia, waiting for someone to tell it what time it is. The house remembers itself in layers. We only notice when it stops.