The fear in the darkness

Fear of the darkness was my worst enemy as a small child. It controlled my nightly life. I refused to enter basements, walk down dark hallways, or even sleep without the window open(thank God I lived on the Southern Plains).

One night my friends and I were playing in the abandoned school grounds next to our houses. We heard this noise shuffle across the ground just around the corner. It were as if evil was creeping towards us. The hair on the back of our necks stood as straight as the flickering lamp post across the ghoulish alley. We slowly backed towards the metal fence which separated us from safety. There was a thunderous clash of metal as our shoulders smashed into the chain linked fence. My hand eased above my head and grabbed hold of the metal support. With a great heave I lifted my feet off the ground and spun to face the alley. My feet swung over the fence and as soon as they hit the ground they were moving like they had never moved before. I ran for blocks, past my own house, the whole time the shadows were never far. They were always only steps behind, just out of reach. We kept on running until they gave up the chase. Finally I stopped. I was standing in front of an old house illuminated by only a single flickering orange florescent light. I realized I had traded one darkness for another and the chase began all over again.

As the boys on the island start to think about their fears they(the elder children) come to the realization that the Beastie is nothing but fear itself. Fear of the darkness, and the creepy crawlies that lurk within. The boys fears are not unlike mine were. The only difference between the two stories is that I dealt with my fears.