Death by Poverty
It was a chilly night. Winter was coming and there was nothing she could do about it. She pushed her wheelchair next to her bed and eased herself onto the mattress. She could still walk with help, but it was much easier to move around the small apartment with the chair. She lit the candle on her nightstand. It had been two months since the company had turned off service. Nights now came early. To save on candles she went to bed soon after nightfall. It was warmer there, too. When the electricity had been cut off, so had the heat, as her heaters were electric. The old woman fell asleep. For the last time. A small movement against the nightstand knocked off the candle, and the covers caught fire. This happened last Monday in Reus, Tarragona. An elderly woman who couldn't pay the light bill had her electricity cut off and was using candles for light in the evenings. She had no one except a niece who came over from time to time, herself with plenty of problems. The woman's pen...