The cold autumn night was warmed up by the energy of people gathered for a party. There, Andrew thought his past was left behind.
A splash of light in the sky and a loud boom broke the night, and the Darkness came with it. Unnoticed among the crowd, casting shadows on itself on an enlightened street, a fully dark figure – Andrew felt it smile at him.
“The fireworks!” the kids cheered, and the figure vanished. Andrew kept staring into the shadows. An anxious feeling settled deep inside him.
“Are you okay?” asked his sister.
“Fine,” he lied and walked away. There were no more fireworks for him – only explosions.
*
With every sharp noise or flash, the Darkness kept breaking in, bringing terror, loneliness and insecurity.
He knew the night when they’d meet unavoidably. While everyone was out partying, Andrew waited alone in his dark apartment.
As the clock struck midnight, the stars exploded high in the sky. The Darkness was standing by the window.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, but you know me. I stand behind the fake shining of your life.”
*
With any lightning and thunder, the Darkness revealed itself. There was no safe place. Even sweet moments of oblivion – in a drink, music, or sleep – had to end. The last getaway meant turning away from life altogether. Soon, that price started to look reasonable.
*
Months later, Andrew got careless enough to attend another party. Running from the banging noises and dazzling flickers reaching from the garden, he hid in a barn.
“Reunited once more,” the Darkness was delighted.
Andrew’s hands were so shaky that he dropped his phone. Calling for a taxi home and never going out again – his last hope is now smashed along with the screen. He fell to his knees in despair.
“And now we’re as one,” the creature’s voice was trembling with excitement.
Suddenly, the door creaked, and Andrew’s sister stepped in. She looked straight at the creature, as if she could see it. And then stood between it and Andrew.
“You didn’t need to run,” she lent him a hand. “Let’s go. I’ll help you.”
Andrew tried to glance at the creature but couldn’t see it behind her. He took her hand, and they walked out into the glimmering night.
*
On an autumn evening, people gathered for a party again. Andrew joined them, though he knew he’d meet the Darkness.
“On the first day we met, why were you smiling?” he asked as the fireworks went off.
“I thought I wasn’t alone anymore,” the Darkness replied.
There was a reason why it was always turned back to the lights, never looking at it.
“That’s right,” Andrew said. “Now, face the light. It’s not so scary this way, is it?”
The figure turned, and the fireworks’ light fell on its face. Andrew finally recognized it: that was himself, terrified and lost as he once was in the past. Then, the face softened, enlightened, and, with the next spark, the figure disappeared for good.
