Billy and the Brown Out

Billy's den looked a bit like a dense forest: plugs and cords were knotted together on the carpet like roots while wires dangled like hanging vines above. The walls hummed with the sound of flowing electricity pouring out of every outlet. While the world outside his window was as hot and balmy as it was boring, inside Billy had everything he needed. Portable air conditioners kept the room icy cold while TVs, DVD players, stereos and video games kept Billy's thoughts blissfully blank. He drank up power like a man lost in the desert. Every open electrical outlet was like a cool oasis in the Sahara and made him giddy with the opportunity it represented. A free socket meant he could plug in a blender to make a cool drink, or a lamp so that he could see without having to open a window. Billy felt like the power wasn't in the wires, but in his hands, and it felt good. Until, of course, he lost it all.

You see, on that particular summer's day, Billy's town was in the grip of a heatwave with daily temperatures off the charts. Everyone was suffering; birds that flew too close to the sun would ignite with a "woosh!" and children spraying each other with hoses wouldn't even get wet because the water would evaporate in midair.

Now, Billy was unique in some ways: he may have been the only person who liked chocolate sauce on his eggs, but he certainly wasn't the only person who liked to be comfortable and entertained. On that day, everyone was stuck inside, so they all had their air conditioners on full blast and their TVs blaring. Every outlet in the town was occupied, sucking every last bit of electricity available like mechanical vampires until, with a whine, the town went dark.

Billy, who was only moments away from a new high-score in his video game, screamed like a wounded animal. "Mom!" he shouted, "Where's our power? Did we go back in time to before electricity was discovered? What year is it?!"
"Relax, Billy," replied his mother from the hallway, "It's just a brown-out."
"A brown-out? Is that like when you eat a lot of beans and then you have to..."
"No. A brown-out is when people use so much electricity that the power company runs out. There's only so much electricity available, and if everyone tries to use it at the same time the system breaks."

"But why did it have to happen now?" Billy whined.

"Well, brown-outs usually occur in the summer because people like to stay inside with energy-sucking air conditioners when it gets too hot out" she explained.

"No, I mean why did it have to happen in the middle of my game?" Billy asked.

"Look, buster," said his mother, putting her hands on her hips, "I wouldn't be pointing fingers if I were you. You seem to be using more than your fair share of juice. Just look around. It's easy to say that other people should conserve power, but I don't see you doing anything to help."

"But what can I do?" Billy asked. "I can't just stop using electricity. If we all did that, we'd just be cavemen again, hunting woolly mammoths with clubs. Actually, that would be pretty cool. Mom, can I have a club?"

"No," she said smiling, "but you can still enjoy our modern conveniences while using less power. For instance, that air conditioner is probably using a lot of juice. You could just plug in a fan and put on some shorts. And why do you need so many gadgets running at once when you only have so many holes in your head to take it all in."

"And if I use less, that'll really help?"

"Every little bit helps, Billy" said his mother, "If we all do our part, we can ensure that there will always be enough power for us."