In the dark, we all look kind of the same. Sometimes that's not a good thing.

Danielle was already parking when it went dark. No streetlights, no apartment lights, no store lights. There were some ironic cheers from the restaurants around her. The first brownout of summer, and now she had to walk home.

It wasn't so far and she knew the area, so she didn't feel afraid. More annoyed, really, both that it would happen at night and that it would happen right AFTER she got back from her trip. But everyone on the street seemed happy enough, and she knew which building was hers... even in the dark.

From down the block, she could see a little bit of light. Obviously candles, but sort of going on and off. She heard Sylvia's voice saying "That's amazing, Craig!" and, as she got closer, could see the dark outline of a man putting his hand over the top of a candle, again and again. He must be some tough guy, Danielle thought. Glad he's here to keep us safe.

Closer to the door, she could see Sylvia, who for some reason seemed to motion to the guy holding the candle. He didn't look familiar to Danielle, but then again, it was pretty dark.

"Hi, Sylvia, It's Danielle!" Danielle called from the shadows. "I bet the elevator's off. Are those candles too melted? Can I borrow one to get up the stairs?"

"Sure, Danielle," said Sylvia a little too emphatically, "these are my nephew's Westinghouse Flameless LED Candles. Here, take mine."

Holding one, Danielle was surprised. "There's no flame!"

"Just LED lights!" the guy said happily. "And that's real wax on the outside. It'll get soft, maybe, but it won't dissolve. This thing will last you for ages."

Sylvia put a hand on her nephew's shoulder. "This is Craig, Danielle. Danielle, Craig."

"Hi," Danielle said politely. She couldn't really see Craig's face in the dark but he seemed nice enough. He had a nice voice too. "Do you live in the building, Craig?"

"Not really," answered Sylvia. "He just visits me a lot."

Danielle nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around, then. You know, when I give Sylvia back her candle."

"Uh, my candle…" Craig stuttered. "But, of course, you're welcome to it."

"Thank you!" said Danielle as brightly as she could. His voice was little familiar, maybe. She was already looking forward to seeing him clearly when there was light. Maybe he'd be visiting Sylvia soon.

Once Danielle was inside, Sylvia tapped her palm against Craig's arm. "That was her, Craig!" she said with excitement. "That was her!"

"Yes, Aunt Sylvia," Craig answered with a smile. "I think it was."

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