Over Night Freeze

Prompt: Write a STORY or POEM that BEGINS with the following line, exactly as it appears: The temperature outside dropped steadily over night.
Word Count: 203

The temperature outside dropped steadily over night. The residence of Hades, Texas, woke up to find that every fire hydrant, water main, and pipe in town froze and burst. Main Street became an ice rink, cars and buses sliding chaotically from one side of the street to the other. The mayor’s limo crashed through the front door of the Hot Stuff Bar and Grill.

“Well,” said Mayor Devlin, after his chafer helped him out of the car. “I suppose that’s one good reason for wearing seat belts.”

“Are you all right, Mayor,” asked Pattie Sue, the morning waitress.

“I’m fine, Miss Pattie,” he smiled. “Are any of your customers hurt?”

“No, Sir, this is a slow morning. The only customer in the place is Homer,” she pointed to the town drunk passed at the bar.

“I see you have electricity, do you have coffee?”

“Yes, I used bottled water to make coffee in the staff percolator. Would you like a cup, while you watch the national news?” She escorted him to the bar, turned on the T.V. to CNN and poured his coffee.

“This just in from Texas,” the smiling news anchor announced, “it seems the little town of Hades has frozen over.”