Ryan Helfer was the winner of the short story contest held by the Haxtun Public Library in Haxtun, Colorado.  On Thursday, July 3, 2003, Ryan was informed that his short story, The Electrical Thief, would be placed both in the Haxtun-Fleming Herald and on one of the most popular horror sites in the world . . . Abe's Tomb.  Congratulations, Ryan!  Not only are you fortunate enough to live in one of the finest cities on the planet, but your story will now be seen by thousands of people from all over the world.

Here it is, everyone . . . the winning short story from the public library in Haxtun, Colorado.

The Electrical Thief

By: Ryan Helfer

First Place!

The Electrical Thief

By Ryan Helfer

                          I usually woke up by my alarm clock, but today I woke up by an eerie sensation.  I got up, trudged to the light switch, and flicked it on.  Nothing happened.  I turned it on again, and again, and again.  “Bulb’s probably burned out,” I said to myself.  I went downstairs and turned the light on.  Still nothing happened.  “Power must be out," I said.

             Then, suddenly, I had an idea.  I ran upstairs to my room and then outside.  “I knew this would come in handy someday.”  What I held in my hands was a solar-powered radio!  I carefully adjusted the antenna and turned it on.

            “In other news, Lightor, the evil electrically-powered super villain, is draining the entire city’s power supply.  How will this effect your weekend plans, Bob?”  And that’s all I heard because the sun went behind the cloud.

            “There is only one man who can stop him,” I said aloud while jumping behind a nearby bush.  “And that person is…Stupendous-man!”

            When I emerged from the bush, I was wearing a colorful costume equipped with utility belt and cape.  “Up.  Up.  And—ow!  Stupid branch!”  I took off in the air like a bullet, leaving a crimson streak behind me.  There’s only one place that Lightor can drain the whole city’s power supply, I thought.  The Hobbsonville Power Plant!

            When I got there, I used my binocular vision to spot Lightor.  I had scanned the first seven floors before spotting a “glowing” person.

            “Almost, almost,” said Lightor as he glared evilly at a gauge of the city’s electric supply.  “A little more and I will have drained Hobbsonville of all its electricity!”

            BOOM!  CRUMBLE!  “Stupendous-man!!!”  Of my limited options, this was probably the worst.  I had busted through a wall.  Instead, I should have come through a window and gotten Lightor by surprise.  But instead, the deposit on the wall is going on my bill.

            “You know what?  I wanted to have a barbeque today, and I’m going to get it!”  Lightor cracked as he struck me with lighting bolts.

            “Oof!”  I landed in a pile of boxes.  ZZAK!  Another batch of lightning bolts were headed straight for me.  I quickly somersaulted out of the way causing the two supercharged bolts to bust through the wall!  I looked out the hole where the wall had been and saw the one thing useful against Lightor…  A rubber suit!

            I quickly flew down and put it on.  The suit also came with rubber gloves and boots.  I flew back where Lightor was.

            “Back for more?  Fool!”  ZZAK!  Instead of lightning bolts being thrown at me, Lightor made a stream of lightning from the tip of his finger.  I crossed my fingers and prayed that the suit would work.  “What!  My electricity re-repelled?”

            I opened my eyes.  It was true!  The electricity was being repelled by the rubber!  “Hey, Lightor,” I called, cracking my knuckles.  “I’ve got a present for you!”  CRASH!  I punched Lightor so hard he hit the wall and broke it, causing Lightor to fly out.  Luckily for Lightor, he landed on an old weather balloon.

            The cops soon came and took Lightor into custody, and electricity was restored to the city.  Once again, Hobbsonville (and the world) is saved thanks to…  Stupendous-man!

The End