I suddenly awoke. It was three in the morning. It seemed like the whole world was sleeping but me. The silence, sinister. I felt the weight of the darkness pushing on me. My mind darted from one nightmare scenario to the next, the fear of the unknown overwhelmed me and I was paranoid about vicious intrusionsMy bedroom door was wide open. My eyes darted around the room, hunting for anything different, any dark silhouettes lurking in the darkness. I failed to find anything out of the ordinary.
This only increased my paranoia even more. I felt as though I was fighting a war with the darkness, darting from one trench to the next, fleeing for my life. I groped around the darkness to find the light switch on my bedside lamp. I flipped the light… Light… Safety.
I immediately felt relieved. I listened carefully for any noises. I could only hear the buzz of electricity in the light above me that gave me a sense of safety, and the beating of my terrified heart.
Just as I began to calm down and convinced myself that everything was alright, I remembered that I left the back door unlocked and the window gaping open, inviting in the strangers that lurked in the shadows.
I soon found myself once again paranoid and quickly turned back to the light… Light… Comfort. I knew the only way I could get to sleep was to lock that door and the window. The darkness weighed on me. Even with light streaming throughout my room, I still felt a little uneasy, like the darkness pressed up against my window trying to attack me.
I encouraged myself that all I had to do was quickly go down the stairs and down the hallway to the back door and the window that was splayed open. Who was I trying to kid? I was freaked out. As I nervously stepped out of my room, the floorboards creaked underneath me as if it was a warning not to go out of the safety of my lit up room and into the horrifying darkness. I cautiously looked down the stairs in to the inky blackness below. Biting my lip, I started to make my way down the stairs. The light switch is at the bottom. I looked behind me, one last peek of light before I carried on descending the stairs into the unknown. I stepped down from step to step cautiously. Each step dragged me further into the darkness and further away from the safety of the light.
I reached the bottom of the stairs. I ran my hands along the wall, my fingers sought the light switch. Flick! Light… Reassurance. A quick few strides across to the door. I hastily bolted the door. I turned to the right, facing the open window. A gust of wind swirled around me, enveloping me with cold air making the hair on my skin stand on end under protruding goose bumps. I abruptly latched the window shut. I sighed with relief and turned and walked back to the staircase.
I reached the base of the stairs. My hand hovered over the light switch. I took a deep breath and turned the light off. I was forced to plunge myself back into the darkness. I began to count down the steps as I ascended the stairs. Twelve… Eleven… Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… I momentarily paused. Halfway… Five…. Four…. Three… Nearly there… Two… One. I stepped back into the welcoming arms of the light in my room. I leaped back into the warmth of my bed. I reached my arm across to turn my bedside lamp off, my hand suspended in mid air as my mind raced back to the events of a few moments ago. I withdrew my arm and hand, returning them to the warmth beneath my covers. I decided that tonight, the light would stay on… Light… Security.