I called the electric company. The girl said she couldn't give me an estimate of how long it would be before the power might be restored. I told her I wouldn't believe her if she did.

I sat in my living room, alone, with a battery-powered lamp held awkwardly on my lap, and read from my Book of Shadows. Outside, the sun sank below the horizon. Hours passed.

My Book of Shadows contains the odd little recitation known as "The Language of Stones." Beautiful words, but I've never really known what they mean. This little poem/song has been recorded by Geoff Bartley and (separately) by Sarah Stockwell.

I had been reading silently; for some reason, I decided to read "The Language of Stones" out loud. As I did ("my lips move over the syllables like a blind woman's fingers over the face of her firstborn"), a strange thought popped into my mind: These words sound like an incantation. I bet the electricity comes back on when I finish reading this.

I came to the end ("Full ... circle ... full"). Nothing happened.

Oh well, I thought. Guess I was wrong.

Sixty seconds later, the electricity came back on, all over the neighborhood.