The Central Light

why flashlights can’t replace the central one

The overhead fan and light in my room went out a couple of months ago. No big deal, I thought. I have a lamp. So I used that instead.

Then last week, the lamp bulb burned out too. I kept forgetting to buy a new one, so I started using the flashlight on my phone in the mornings before sunrise and at night. Just walking around my room like a little raccoon, lighting up one tiny corner at a time. It was slightly inconvenient, but also… kind of normal now?

The funny thing is, it made everything harder. I usually tidy and reset my room before bed, but doing that one-handed with a flashlight? Not ideal. Things started to feel slightly more chaotic, just because I couldn’t see clearly.

So I finally put in a maintenance request for my overhead light.

Just now, George, the maintenance guy, came by. I showed him how I flipped the switch, and nothing happened. He paused, looked around for a moment, and said,
“Wait… what about those switches?”