I was really looking forward to getting to see real live penguins at Phillip Island, Melbourne, before returning back to India. I had rented a cottage for the weekend. I checked into the cottage just as the sun was setting. I was to go to see the penguins the next evening. I unpacked and then sat on the verandah watching the storm that came on suddenly , while drinking my favourite tea and chatting with my friends.
Suddenly my phone died. I went inside and as I plugged the phone charger into the socket everything went pitch black with a loud ' blink'.
I have always been terrified of the dark. I always slept with a night lamp. What was I to do now? My phone was dead and I had no idea if the cottage had candles?
I could feel the panic rising and could hear my heartbeats clearly. Did I remember to shut the front door when I came inside? What if there are snakes around here? Or thieves? How would I sleep? Was it only this cottage ? Was it the storm or something I did?
I could not keep standing near the kitchen counter. I took a few deep breaths and slowly managed to find my way to a chair. I sat there and tried to convince myself that dawn wasn't far off.
However, much to my delight, the lights came on after an hour.