It was during the blackout that they stole Ma Edwards' prized ducks.
No one knew the thieves, no one even heard when they came creeping into the yard and into the coop. But when the lights came back on, the ducks were gone, and everyone knew that a mongoose could do many things, it certainly could steal ducks if it set its mind to it, but it couldn't break the lock to a chicken coop.
On the evening the power went, Ma Edwards was hosting a prayer group with the women of her church. They were a small group of about eight women, and they came together every week at a different member's house to read the Bible, worship and pray. This week was Ma Edwards' week, and the women were gathered together in her living room, poring over the Bible as she read from the book of Luke, chapter 11, reflecting on the lamp of the body.
Ma Edwards sat at the head of the group in her favorite rocking chair, feet propped up by special pillows- the doctor's remedy for her varicose veins- spectacles on, fingers pressed to the page, underlining the words as she read out loud to her sisters.
She had just made it to verse 34, squinting as she read, "...when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness" when just like that, the lights went.
"Oh my," whispered Sister Cindy loudly, and Ma Edwards pursed her lips in the dark for she could picture the sister's smurk as she clutched her pearls. The other women shuffled their feet, but everyone else remained silent, waiting on Ma Edwards' direction.
After the momentary discomfort, she cleared her throat.
"Ladies," she said. "It appears as though the lights are gone, but it will come back soon. Let us not lose heart in this moment. Let us pray like Daniel did in the dark den, let us sing our Father's praises like Paul and Silas did when cast into prison. Let us make unto the Lord a joyful noise."
And without waiting for the others to follow, she lifted her voice in song, singing as lustily as she could, "Oh Lord, my God,
When I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed..."
The sisters of the church joined in one by one, at first tentatively, and then in a flood of song and joy and praise. Ma Edwards smiled beatifically.
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art..."
The electricity came back just about a half hour later as the ladies' praise and worship wound to a close. Ma Edwards was pleased. The minor disruption in power had done nothing to deter their evening of praise.
As she ushered the ladies out, she remembered her prized ducks which she kept in a coop across her yard.
Standing on her porch, waving the women off, Ma Edwards glanced for a moment at the coop, and froze.
The coop was wide open. The lock was broken. The ducks were gone.
My friends, the above is my entry for today's freewrite prompt hosted over in the Freewriters' Community by 