Wanderings In The Dark
Strolls in the night-time with lights-out.
The day, from dawn to dusk, is the hub of activity temporally for most of human-kind. The sun is out, shining on to us, making the world around us light up. Everything is visible and almost all tasks can be accomplished. All is well. The sun goes down and we retire for the night, comforted within the walls of our dwellings — safe and sound. It’s not long before sleep overtakes us and thus ends our day and the night with it — in beautiful, restful slumber.
It had been a very tiring day yesterday and all I had wanted was to find some place to rest. Finally, at about 12.45 AM I returned to the comfort of my bed and jumped in without even changing — all such thoughts banished from my mind by the need for some sleep. Apparently I’d been a little too tired as when I woke up, the clock ticked at 1.15 PM. I felt well-rested, but a little sluggish as I went through what remained of the day.
By the time the night came again, I could not find any need to rest. Perhaps I’d slept a bit more than necessary. It wasn’t unusual. We usually pulled an all-nighter at least a couple times a week but it was either due to an exam on top of us or something else that we’d be engaged in. But today it was different. I was alone, the night well on its way and I had nothing to do.
A peek through the window revealed a clear starry sky. And an impulse to roam through the campus overtook me. I pulled a warmer over, locked the door and walked out. The air had a nice chill to it which made me glad that I’d had the thought to take the warmer but I still felt my arms tighten around me. The atmosphere felt clear like the one that makes you take a deep breath and inhale as much of the cold, clean air as you can — and so I did.
A couple minutes in, the street lights flickered and in the next minute went out completely. Everything went dark, the whole campus engulfed in a strange black cover. I looked around for any sign of light or life but found none.
That was when I looked up!
Oh! What a sight it was to behold! The heavens above were clear as crystals in all their majesty with no earthly light to filter their beauty. I found myself so small, minuscule in front of the sights above me extending beyond what I could see or even imagine. The amazing view that had unfolded in front of my eyes — I would never forget it — was like a shower of lights, not blinding like their earthly counterparts but rather illuminating the very space around them — making the invisible visible!
I could not take my eyes off it even as my neck complained of the pain. I was afraid that as soon as I’d take my eyes off them, everything would vanish. I do not know how long I stood there looking above — I’d lost all sense of time. It may have been just a minute, or an hour or more but time had stood still for me. However long it was — it was the best I’d felt in a very long time.
And the lights came back and the heavens vanished, never to be seen again.
Note: This is a work of fiction.
Thank you for reading!
