Yuh did deh eena di power cut di odda day, missis? What a sinting eena Foreign, sah? You coulda believe dat we coulda have blackout eena Foreign? Massi, ma. Me did tink seh a ongly fi me lickle corner a di world dem dere sinting coulda happen. No sah, me a cook mi pot when all of a sudden, BLOOPS, currant gone. An wha mek it worse, is electric stove me have. All di same, it was really di fault of nature so me cyaan blame nobody too tough. But me tell yuh, ma, back a fi mi Guinep Hill is plenty of dark night we use to have, yuh know.

Me tell yuh, ma, me wi outa door a play an mama eena house a iron when all of a sudden me hear har give out:

“Currant gone.”

Next ting you know, water it gone too. An yuh haffi go walk mile an a half fi get water fi cook yuh dinner. Me tell you, some night when you a watch you favorite show and just as it reach di sweet part, dere it go. An yuh start hunt dung di place fi candle an matches and mama won’t mek yuh touch her lamp for she fraid yuh bruk di shade.

Me tell yuh, ma, me an my breddah Frankie learn fi play some game, yuh see. We play box, we play picture-no picture, we play card, we play domino and all kinda game wha some people nevah hear bout yet for a we mek it up. Sometime when cousin Lucy come fi holiday we play moonshine baby or spellings. When Frankie him get tired him start fi play wid di fire. Mama warn him over and over but would Frankie lissen. Him pass him finger through di fire an a grin bout it cyaan burn him. Him gwaan an gwaan til him out di candle. Mama holler out:

“Who out di candle?”

“Is accident, mama,” him bawl out and two-twos light it back.

One night, chile, eena di blackout Frankie say him gwine show we a trick. Anytime yuh see one pretty girl deh bout him haffi show-off, yuh know. Dat bway, Frankie. Him get some kerosene oil an tief one a mama box a matches wha she been saving up from Whoppie a kill Fellop and when matches did short she coulda give out to all an sundry. Well, Frankie put di oil eena him mouth and den him light di matches an spew kerosene oil from him mouth. Heh. One ball of fire like is Judgement Day. Mama fly out wid har heart eena har hand. Granny she backa har like breeze-blow a follow behind. Frankie eyebrow gone, him fingernail turn black and so did his mouth. I was abased.Me tell yuh, man, dose were di days. Power cut doan know no boundry, eeh? It deh right yasso eena Foreign.