The Electrician

by Tania van Schalkwyk

I understood I could change things. That day, I walked along the main street of Cape Town, changing light bulbs from red to green just by looking at them. This simple trick caused much trouble and mayhem. I wondered how much damage I could do by expanding my new powers to a broader field.

This thought scared me, so I went to a doctor who sent me to a shrink. Neither believed me and now I’ve gone and closed down Koeberg Power Station with my mind.

Nuclear leak they’re calling it, but the birds know better. They see me walking the streets at early light when the first cars roar in the belly of the beast. Mostly at dawn pre-feeding time when all is quiet, hushed in sleep. Then, the early morning travellers sound loud as they begin their hunt. And I am compelled to change light bulbs and sometimes even switch them off all across town. It is my mission to stop the rush of human traffic. It is a dangerous job. But still, I enjoy the challenge of a good black-out. And I feed the birds to keep them quiet.