• Darkness

    “On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.” ~ Chuck Palahniuk


    I was sitting in my living room reading my copy of The Hobbit, it was my favorite book and it was well used, the cover was worn, the pages were missing corners here and there, and there was a small coffee stain on pages forty-six through fifty-one. The chair I was sitting in was my favorite for reading, it was large, light brown and looked like it could fit another person in it, but it was perfect for stretching out a bit. The only thing unusual that night was the fact that the power was out; apparently the entire neighborhood was having a blackout. This wasn’t a problem for me as I didn’t really watch much TV anyway, and the most used electrical appliances in my house were my coffee maker and my laptop, with the microwave taking a close second.

    So, I simply sat reading my book by candlelight completely immersed in the story, the fireplace across the room was keeping most of the house warm even though it was a cold winter night. Any light in the room that didn’t come from fire came from the full moon. Anyone who might consider themselves paranoid might consider tonight a little creepy, but I’m probably one of the few people who enjoy the darkness. It makes me feel calm, invisible, and the silence is a nice change from the busy noise of the nearest town where I work.
    Now, I could probably make this story much more exciting by saying that suddenly the lights went out, or that I heard a mysterious sound, but I’ve already said that the power was out and that the quite was nice. Also, I find the afore mentioned statements to be overused and somewhat predictable in scary stories. What’s much scarier is to hear nothing, no birds, no bugs, no cars, nothing but incredibly deafening silence. Most people wouldn’t think of such a thing as being creepy, they’d probably be the naïve little children at heart that they are and think that it’s peaceful. But any hunter will tell you the truth, there’s nothing worse then silence. What does a person do when their trying not to be found? They keep quiet. Animals do the same thing, so when you hear nothing, something’s there, and it’s watching, possibly watching you. And that’s exactly what I heard, nothing.

    I finished my chapter and took a quick look at the clock, it was about 8:30 and the dishes in the kitchen sink were calling. I closed my book and placed it back on the coffee table, next to my copies of Eldest, War of the Worlds and my Bible. I got up after a moderate amount of effort and went into the kitchen. The kitchen was possibly the nicest room in the house; it had maple cabinets and a black granite counter top. There was a gas stove, a large refrigerator, a half decent microwave that I had gotten from Wal-mart, and the all-important coffee maker.

    I walked over to my coffee maker and refilled my oversized mug with the black elixir before starting on the dishes. The sink was nothing special, stainless steel with a plain silver faucet. I plugged up the sink, flicked on the warm water and reached for the dish soap underneath the sink. Quickly finding it, I poured a small amount of the soapy liquid into the warm water. Personally, I don’t mind washing the dishes, it gives me time to think about my day. But that night, doing anything seemed to take forever. Time just seemed to slow down, almost to a halt. It was an odd feeling and it only added to the creepiness of the night. I hurried through the dishes feeling uncomfortable and hoping to find rest in my bedroom.

    I dried the dishes as fast as I could, quickly put them away, grabbed my coffee and headed off to bed. Upon reaching my bedroom, I set my mug down on the side table next to my bed. Much like the rest of the house, the bedroom was fairly simple. There was a double bed in the center of the room, with a side table next to it. There was a small writing desk at the other end of the room which served as the platform for my laptop.

    I walked over to the desk to shut down my computer. I closed my latest writing project and shut off my computer to help darken the room. I’ve always had trouble sleeping if it’s there are lights on in the room, so shutting off the computer was more to help me sleep than anything else. I walked back over and sat on my bed, quickly downed the last of my coffee. With the last of my magic beverage in the confines of my stomach, I pulled up the covers. I closed my eyes and allowed the darkness of a dreamless sleep encompass my mind.

    People say that the fear of the dark is illogical. However, their more wrong than they’ll ever know. People aren’t afraid of the dark, their afraid of what lingers in the darkness. That night, the darkness swallowed me and what was inside it found me. It stared me in the face and I felt my body go numb. The darkness growled and I felt my sanity leave me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t think. Suddenly, I couldn’t see. What was inside the darkness had found me and that is why I now fear the dark.