KRAK-BOOM!
           Edison blinked as the sudden flash of lightning lit up the drops of rain pelting against his window. To him, storms were a mixed blessing. On one hand, there was the dreaded water from the sky. On the other, lightning. Strange how two things that normally didn't mix well - water and electricity - would occur together so frequently in nature.
           Electric eels could also be taken into account, but somehow, the slimy water-dwellers couldn't quite measure up to the impressiveness of a storm.
           And this was one heck of an impressive storm. KA-KRAK-BOOM!
           It was completely backwards for him. Most people were afraid of the thunder and lighting, and drew comfort from the rain.
           For Edison, the boom and flash of thunder and lightning were a welcome relief.
           A shiver ran up Edison's spine and he crossed his arms over his chest irritably. Much as he hated to admit to such a ridiculous fear, rain just made his skin crawl. Water in general was, to him, a Bad Thing. Cold, wet, always trying to fill whatever space it was given...Even if that space happened to be your breathing room.
           Icy claws of death. Reaching out for you. Waiting for you to weaken. Then dragging you down into their cold, dark, murky depths...
           Edison shuddered and turned away from the window. He could still hear the insistant tap-tap-tapping of water against glass, but at least he didn't have to look at it. Rubbing his arms briskly to warm the sudden chill he felt, Edison flopped onto his bed and grabbed the book he had left on his bedside table.
           Reading. That would take his mind off the rain. Yep. Just a little reading....
           Pushing his glasses onto his forehead, Edison rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He didn't need to read, he needed to sleep. But there was no way he could get to sleep with that water attacking the window...trying to get in at him.
           He set the book back on the table and returned his glasses to their customary place on the bridge of his long nose. Get a grip. he thought, annoyed at himself. The water is not trying to get in at me. It's not even a sentient...thing. It's water. H2O. Two hydrogen atoms mixed with one oxygen atom times a billion billions. It's not alive, it's not out to get me, and it does not have any icy claws of death!
           Edison took a deep breath and slowly let it out, letting his eyes drift closed as he tried to convince his body that there was no danger and that it was perfectly safe to relax. As if that ever did any good.
           "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head," he sang softly. "But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red..." Too late. he thought dryly, thinking of his own slightly bloodshot eyes. Though that was from lack of sleep. He continued humming to himself, having forgotten most of the words, adding the lyrics he did remember occasionally. "'Cause I'm free-ee. Nothin's worryin' me..."
           Don't worry, be happy... Edison's mind drifted to another song as his singing trailed off. Don't worry....Be happy....Don't worry, dammit! Happy! Be happy ! A forced, grim smile was all that thought produced. His mood still remained firmly entrenched in the rain-induced funk.
           KRAK-BA-BOOM!!
           Darkness.
           Eyes glowing faintly in the sudden pitch black, Edison sat up in surprise. It was...gone. Gone! He hugged his knees to his chest and tucked them under his chin, squeezing his eyes shut. Trying, somehow, to block the growing sense of...emptiness threatening to engulf him.
           The power had been knocked out. He could feel it, even if he hadn't immediately recognized it as the cause of the blackout. The steady hum of electricity that usually surrounded him was disturbingly absent.
           Gone. All gone. Leaving him...horribly...horribly alone.
           Snap out of it! Edison angrily berated himself. It's just a blackout! "Just...a blackout," he whispered. "...just a blackout..." A cold, wet, dark, dreary, lonely blackout.
           Edison Ohms, alone in his darkened bedroom, listening to the insistent pattering of rain, devoid of the comforting feel of electricity all around...Edison Ohms curled up in a ball as a few drops of dreaded H2O leaked from his cold grey eyes.