Ficly

the darkness

So many see fear of the dark as a childhood ailment. A fear that is expected to decrease with age as you become more aware of the world around you.

It’s not childish to fear the dark.

It may be the greatest fear of all. Some fear snakes, but animals generally don’t attack without reason. Others fear heights, but those can be avoided.

But the dark?

The darkness is unavoidable, growing longer with each day as the winter approaches, but it’s not the length of it we fear. It’s not the simple physical absence of light waves reaching our retinas.

It’s the unknown.

Because that’s what the darkness is. Unknown. In it, our weak human eyes become nearly useless, able to see vague outlines in the moonlight but nothing more. Hands feel their way around, but every time one reaches out, you can’t know for sure what it will find.

Fear of the unknown is prudent, necessary. Someone might tell you that the darkness is not unknown, but they’re wrong. The darkness will always be unknown.

And the unknown can be anything.

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