Darkness

Sadie opened her eyes and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling fan. She watched each slow revolution intently, determined not to let the fear overtake her again. Around the bed the darkness pushed ever closer and she clutched her stuffed pig tightly. Sadie dared not blink, for she was sure the darkness would form…something…and snatch her out of the bed and away to Hell before her mommy and daddy could come save her. 1

Around and around the stars went, and as she watched the comforting glow she noticed the light getting fainter. Slowly the green faded, faded until she couldn’t see it, faded until the room around her was darker than it had ever been before. She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately opened them again. She screamed.2

“MOMMY! MOMMY1” she screamed, over and over, sliding further underneath the covers yet unable to take her eyes off the frightening figure in front of her.3

“Sadie?” 4

The door flew opened and Sadie instinctively closed her eyes against the sudden brightness. Her young body continued to shiver with fear, but she breathed easier knowing the darkness had been banished by her parents.5

When she opened her eyes, she saw her dad kneeling by the bed and her mom leaning on the door frame, both in their pajamas.6

“What happened, Sadie?” her dad asked.7

“I saw him again,” she whispered.8

“The man with the green face?”9

Sadie nodded. Her parents exchanged looks. “Honey, were you looking at the stars again, when you saw him?”10

Sadie nodded again. “But he’s real, I promise!” She struggled out from underneath her Jasmine comforter and snuggled into her dad’s loving arms. “Can I sleep with you and Mommy, Daddy, just this once?”11

Her mom sighed and walked out of the door way. “Sure, pumpkin,” her dad said, lifting her in his arms. “It’s almost time to wake up anyway.”12

He carried her from the room, and turned off the light. Looking back over his shoulder, Sadie swore she saw the face in the darkness, waiting for her. She shivered.13

The next morning, Sadie awoke in her parents’ bed, alone. Light pored in from the open blinds, decorating the room with thick golden bars. She stretched, yawning, scrunching up the covers with her wake-up ritual. She pulled aside the covers and stood by the bed, rubbing her eyes to rid herself of what her daddy called “eye boogers”. She giggled, and walked towards the half open door, stopping when she heard her mother’s voice.14

“Alan, she’s been sleeping with us for two months now. She is eight years old, it’s time for her to be sleeping in her own bed all night! We got more sleep when she was a newborn.”15

“Honey, you and I know she’s just seeing the after-image of the stars, but she doesn’t know that. She’s just a kid, a kid with a great imagination. Which she got from my side, of course.”16

Her mother laughed, and kissed her father on the cheek. “Good thing that’s all she got from your side!” Her daddy whispered something to her mother, and they both laughed.17

Sadie waited until they had walked away, hand in hand, before coming out of the bedroom. She was eight and a half, not just eight, and tonight she would prove to her mommy that she was a big girl. “I could sleep in my own room if I wanted to,” she said stubbornly, and followed her parents’ laughter into the kitchen. 18

“And Matt had to sit out in recess because he didn’t do his homework again. Matt never does his homework. I wish I didn’t have to do my homework, but I guess then I wouldn’t get to play at recess, and I love playing at recess, unless it’s indoor recess. Do I have to do my homework on indoor recess days?”19

Sadie’s dad looked up from his heaping bowl of spaghetti. “You always have to do your homework, so you can get smart like me,” he said.20

Sadie giggled. She watched her dad pick up one noodle with his fork and suck it up. She giggled again and struggled to get a single noodle onto her fork until, frustrated, she picked one up with her fingers and sucked it up like her dad. She smiled proudly through the sauce covering her face and her daddy giggled.21

“Sadie, use your fork, not your hands,” her mom said sharply. 22

“Yes, mommy.”23

The meal was finished in silence, and Sadie excused herself to go do her homework. She carried her bowl to the dishwasher and decided again to sleep in her room all night long. She would prove she was a big girl.24

“Goodnight, Sadie,” her daddy said, kissing her gently on the forehead and tucking the comforter around her slender body. 25

Sadie squeezed her stuffed pig and smiled hesitantly. “G’night, daddy.” 26

Her father walked out of the room, pausing briefly to turn off the light and pull the door closed. 27

Alone in the darkness once again, Sadie shuddered and closed her eyes. No matter what, she would sleep in here tonight. It’s just dark, she told herself, it can’t hurt me. She yawned, covering her mouth with the comforter. 28

She could feel the darkness pressing closer around her, filling her room, repelled only by the soft green glow of the stars, still tonight. Opening her eyes, she glanced at the stars, and remembered what her dad had said. Was it the stars making the man come into her room? Suddenly the green stars made her feel sick and she looked away. There was no other light in the room, so she closed her eyes, imagining what her room looked like when it was bright, full of sunlight. She felt a little better, and yawned, a huge yawn that she didn’t even try to cover up. The darkness attacked.29

Pouncing on her wide open mouth, the darkness formed a long tunnel and slid down her slender throat. Sadie’s eyes flew open, her yawn turning into a silent scream of terror. She struggled in vain to close the gaping entrance to her insides, but the blackness held her jaws apart. Sadie clawed at the bed, kicking, but she couldn’t move from the bed, couldn’t scream for her parents to save her this time. 30

She felt the darkness sliding through every part of her body, paying no heed to her veins, rolling through bones as if they didn’t exist. The darkness sped towards her organs, coating her lungs, stomach, and heart with thick black ice. Toenails and fingernails, tiny hairs on her arms, not a single part of her was spared the touch of the darkness. Her body began to shake uncontrollably, writhing on the bed yet still pinned in place. Her blue eyes rolled back in her head in terror, but she was not even allowed the reprieve brought by passing out. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking from beneath her eyes lids and freezing on her porcelain cheeks. The ice crackled as she tossed her head back and forth, thrashing. It felt to her mattress and melted, creating little puddles of water that were simultaneously frozen and cracked by her shoulders. 31

All at once the ice seemed to disappear, her former warmth returning, and her limp body stopped it’s wild thrashing. Panting, she opened her eyes; it was still dark. She sobbed, choking on her tears, unable to do anything but open and close her mouth. At last, she fainted.32

The next morning, her mommy told her how proud she was that her big girl spent all night in her own room. 33

Sadie shrugged. “It was no big deal, mom. Being afraid of the dark is for kids. I’m eight. It’s a little silly to be afraid of the dark, isn’t it.” And she walked towards the car, Ariel back pack in hand.34

“Sure grow up fast, don’t they?” her daddy said. Her mommy smiled and sent him off to work with a kiss. In the corner, the darkness smiled, leaving the house to seek out another young victim. 35