Load-Shedding

The dictionary defines it as "the deliberate shutdown of electric power in a part or parts of a power-distribution system, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system."
Load-shedding meant no lights for hours or the night.
If you're from a poor place, you know load-shedding.
Maybe you grew up with it.
Maybe you're familiar with generators and inverters.
Maybe it still happens.
Load-shedding was part of life.
Just another thing in the mountains, like cold fruit.
We'd have electricity, and then we didn't.
So we'd light candles, play hide-and-seek, read beside kerosene lamps.
Everything was somehow more visible, sharper in the dark.
My mother's cheekbones.
My father's twinkling eyes.
Lego brick edges.
My father would tickle us silly and narrate funny stories.
We laughed and shed whatever load we had.
Load-shedding ended with a glorious "The-lights-are-back!" moment.
Load-shedding was meant to be dark and scary.
We made it fun.

PS Load-shedding is a share-share phenomenon. A particular neighborhood has a "deliberate shutdown of electric power" at a predetermined time "to prevent the failure of the entire system." We'd see the lights go out in the adjoining hill and wait our turn.