The Long Darkness
THE ROAD HAD BEEN longer than I expected, and darkness had fallen suddenly. I had watched the sun slowly creep down behind the trees to take a rest for the evening. The orange sky turned into a dirty piece of charcoal, before transforming into a darkness that was blacker than a coffin’s midnight.
I kept walking, though, because they were expecting me, and because I was late. But the road was oh so long, and the farther I walked, the farther I had to go. My legs were starting to ache and the soles of my feet had become bruised. My hips creaked and my knees grinded, but I kept on walking.
The stars came out to greet me after the sun had slipped away. They twinkled above me and gave me a little bit of light, but as I walked on and on, I sensed that they were not guiding me, but instead, they were watching me. Not watching over me, but just watching me.
The road was getting more narrow, and as it wound through row upon row of redwood trees, the darkness turned heavy upon my chest. I was getting closer to the end, but I did not feel like I had been anywhere at all. But I kept on walking, because I had to get where I was going.
There were no birds chirping, not even a sole Mockingbird. There were no frogs croaking, and there were no rabbits splashing through the brush. It was just me and my boots and my thoughts and my steps, as I marched up the dark and winding road.
I could almost see it now, a small light flickering at the top of a pointy hill, shaped like a witch’s hat. As I made my way to the top of the hill, the road became more narrow and the trees pressed upon me and the darkness became so thick that I started to breathe it into my lungs and taste it in my mouth like a flavorless milkshake.
At the top of the pointy hill, just behind the small flickering light, sat a small cabin. The windows were open and the lights were on and a fire was burning in the fireplace and smoke was billowing out of a brick chimney. Gray smoke danced around the black night air, and as it swirled and twirled its way up into the cosmos, I realized just where I was headed.
I kept on walking, because I was late and they were waiting for me. Once I arrived at the top of the pointy hill, the flickering light turned off, and the lights inside the cabin breathed their last breath. The door to the cabin slowly glided open, and I heard some gentle whispers inside.
I took a deep breath, scratched my head, then walked into the cabin and shut the door.
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