Butte La Rose

Bonjour!
A few minutes after the great ever-so-famous world-wide Super Bowl football game was over, which I did not watch because I was wrapped up in a couple of very interesting shows on LPB, the unthinkable happened and electricity went out all around this area.
Surprise!
I stayed sitting there awhile, kind of thinking maybe it would be turned back on soon. After a few minutes it did not look like they were gonna so I scrambled for the flashlight that works now and then that I keep handy in the kitchen. About a year ago I’d bought a cheap packaged set of two flashlights that I had not used yet so I got those from storage. I sat on the bed and tore apart the package and put the batteries in the flashlight. I was ever so happy that I’d made that investment.
I’m sure every one has heard the saying that silence is golden. I can imagine this silence has many meanings. Maybe an over-active spouse who talks too much. Or a neighbors radio that played too loud. Or dogs that bark all the time. Just think what you would call a blessing of silence for yourself.
My golden silence was when the electricity went out as I sit in the dark alone winding down my brain to the reality of darkness. That brought back to mind when before we had electricity over seven decades ago.
I wrapped a towel to cover the flashlight from it’s brightness in case the boogieman was watching me through the window. And if he was I did not want him to know which room I was in. It was spooky dark in here. If one would have broke inside in search of me, I would have hidden in a corner and then would have scared the hell out of him and began screaming above my lungs in the dark. I’d have screamed bloody murder and started throwing furniture around in different directions making as much noise as I could to confuse him. Even moving away from the corner grabbing him and body slamming him to the floor.
Then I would have hollered in his ear that my cage of pet snakes had come loose and because it was too dark to find them and they were all over the room. I’d had made him wish he’d never been born. Mais chers I would be so loud and confusing that he’d have made me a new door way getting out of that crazy house and away from crazy woman.
But it didn’t happen. There was no boogieman outside. I just said that for a good laugh!
It had stopped raining about a half hour before the power went out. And as the rain moved further east, the clouds moved east with the storm.
As I sat there I noticed the clarity of light getting brighter from the kitchen window and thought if the electricity is out, how can the back yard security light be on. I scrambled to the direction of the window checking on that and it was the moonlight and stars shining. In fact, the moon was shining so bright my white van looked as though it was glowing outside. After a while I walked out on the porch to see the van.
I said thank you God that you made me not to be scared of bad weather or fear the dark and to live in these beautiful Atchafalaya swamps. I enjoyed sitting there in peace and quiet listening to the sounds of the night.
Cousine Hélène
337-280-1988.
helenboudreaux@juno.com.