The Dark

Jeanne Chabot
© 2010

Every night when Nicolas went to bed, the dark came to visit him. It came to his window and stared at him through the drapes. Nicolas huddled under his blankets and did not move until his older brother Gabriel came in to bed. Then the dark left and Nicolas could sleep.

“The dark is going to eat me.” Nicolas told his biggest brother Alex.

Alex laughed. “There is no such thing as a dark.” He said.

But Nicolas knew there was a dark. He could hear it laughing outside to itself. He knew it was the dark because when it laughed it sounded like the branches of the great old maple tree creaking in the wind.

That night, the dark did not go away, even when Gabriel came in to bed. Nicolas did not sleep until very late.

“The dark is going to get me.” Nicolas told his sister Maryssa. “He wants to eat me.”

“The dark can’t eat you.” Maryssa said. “It doesn’t have teeth.”

But Nicolas knew the dark did not need teeth to eat him. The dark could swallow him whole.

Nicolas learns how to overcome the dark by goodness and light, with the help of his guardian angel.

“Hold out your hand.” His guardian angel told him.

Nicolas did as he was told.

“Now bring all your light to your hand.”

Nicolas closed his eyes and concentrated on his hand.

“Good.” Said his guardian angel.

Nicolas opened his eyes. In his hand was a flaming sword of light. He felt no more fear. He was stronger than the dark. He rushed to the drapes and pulled them aside. The darks, with their little horned heads shrunk back in to the shadows and disappeared.

That's my latest. For kids. I think I shall read it to Nicolas tonight, and see how he likes it.