It is hardly ever the case anymore that the lights go out during a thunderstorm, especially in cities. That’s why last night was a unique opportunity. I had just put the children to bed when I heard the typical noise of nothingness: no ticking, no television, no buzzing of the refrigerator or quiet rumble of the boiler. Just a deep silence combined with total darkness. So I went into the living room, took Bugia – which I normally use as a table decoration – and lit the candle. I told the children to get up and took them to my bed. It didn’t seem real to them! And we stayed like that, cuddled under the duvet, enjoying the warm light of the candle and counting the seconds between lightning and thunder, until we fell asleep.