Day 298 - Nightlight Story

Nightlight Story

Matthew Ryan Fischer

Rick had always hated the dark. He wasn’t exactly scared or superstitious and certainly didn’t believe that nighttime was inherently evil or mystical. But all the same, he preferred the day and if nothing else, he liked modernized and highly efficient lighting systems at night. Technology was a boon to all mankind, and as he saw it, there was no reason for man to ever go back to the dark. Streetlamps in the neighborhood, home security motion detector lights surrounding the outside of his house, and nightlights in the hallways – he had them all. He was very well protected from the dark.

The dark was mysterious. The dark was unclear. The dark hid secrets. The dark offered a place to hide, a place to go unnoticed, a place for the terrible deeds to be done.

One night a knocking came at Rick’s door. Over and over. Knock, knock, knock. Rick was not one to answer his door often or quickly, and at night he answered it even less often. But the knocking persisted. Over and over. It was enough to make him a little curious and a whole lot annoyed.  It was enough that his natural inclination was overcome and he arose to answer it. If nothing else, he could be angry for a moment and tell someone off for bothering him so late. And perhaps, just perhaps, it was something important enough that his night should be interrupted.

Rick was more than a little shocked to see who his visitor was when he answered his door.

There stood Death. Death had come knocking at his door.

Rick stood in silence for a very long moment. It was not the sort of sight he was used to seeing.

“Are you going to invite me in?” Death asked in a raspy voice.

“Are… are… are” Rick stuttered, “Are you… are you here for me?” Rick was understandably very scared.

“Of course…”

Rick almost had a heart attack upon hearing this.

“…but not like you think. I was only passing by and I needed a place to stop for a moment and rest. I was hoping I could get something to drink and be allowed to sit for a bit. Believe it or not, I too grow tired at the end of a long day of work.”

“And you came here? You came to me. You… to my house?”

“Of course. Yours was so brightly lit. It was impossible to miss.”

Rick was suddenly much more okay with darkness.