The Electric Bill

The minute hand on the grandfather clock rotates into that long awaited vertical position. That short little hour hand is finally all covered up. The clock hasn’t been wound in quite a while. The gears strain in order to chime that low note. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each gong seems to be farther from the last. After what seems like eternity that twelfth note is heard. Head rested on your soft pillow; you close your weary eyes. You are unable to find that sleep you so long for. You realize that after neglecting to wind the grandfather clock for so long, it has ceased to tick. But that isn’t why you can’t sleep. You open your eyes. Somehow you have forgotten to turn off the ceiling light. After sliding out of bed and meandering over to the wall, you try to flick the switch into the off position. It won’t budge. Too exhausted from your day, you realize the only thing you can do is turn the dimmer switch to its lowest setting. You slip back into bed and once again shut your eyes. You can’t help but wonder why the switch was stuck in the on position. Then it dawns on you that the light shouldn’t be on regardless of the switch because you haven’t paid the electric bill. Deciding that it isn’t worth the strain of thinking about at this moment you dismiss the subject matter and drift to sleep. Unbeknownst to you, someone has been watching over you. That person is the one who’s taken care of the electric bill.