W. BRUCE CAMERON - The Night the Lights Went Out

My parents live in the part of the United States that is Canada. It is so far north that Minnesota lies in the same direction as Miami. They have four distinct seasons: Winter, More Winter, Still More Winter, and That One Day Of Summer.

They’re not completely isolated: They can send and receive text messages, for example, provided they have pen and paper handy. And electricity is a lot more reliable now that it no longer comes from flying a kite in a thunderstorm. It still goes out pretty frequently, though.

I’m visiting my parents right now. They are not speaking to each other because my fath...