A Walk In The Dark
Departing
It was the summer before I headed off to college. School was fast approaching and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, no sense of direction. However, I dreaded the idea of school. I didn't want to leave home, but my course was already set in motion.
With all these thoughts rushing through my head, I stepped out of the side door of my childhood home. I didn't know where I was going, just that staying still wasn't an option.
I began to walk into the night. Down my driveway and into the road I swiftly paced. The further I got from my home, however, the darker the night became, the less I could see in front of me. By the time I was 50 feet up the road, I was surrounded by darkness.
Darkness
The moonlight could not find its way through the oaks that stood tall over the pavement. I kept walking, hoping it would be a short patch of darkness; hoping that there would be a shred of light to guide me; hoping that the moonlight would eventually peek through.
But as I continued the path only grew impossibly darker. And so did my despair. I had no sense of direction; there was no knowing which way would bring me back. And so I kept walking forward, one careful step at a time, not knowing where I would end up.
I couldn't tell you how long I was trudging through before I found my first sign of hope.
Hope
There was a lone streetlight shining in the distance, fighting off the relentless darkness that surrounded it.
I stopped and stood underneath the lamppost, bathing in the light I had seemed to have lost for so long. I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I could just soak in the light for long enough, I'd be able to hold onto it for the rest of my inevitable journey.
And so after some time, I began walking again. After all, I couldn't stay there forever. I'd have to keep moving in order to find my way back.
I had many more bouts with the darkness after the first. Despite finding that first lamppost, I still managed to lose track of my surroundings because of how quickly the darkness seemed to seep in. One second I would be by a streetlight and the next I would be buried by layers of dusk too thick to breathe in.
But time and time again I would continue pushing forward. And this time I was met with a beacon of hope. A light so bright I could see it from almost a mile away.
Destination
The pier.
So many great memories ran through my mind as I approached the pier once again. It had been years since I visited it but I was reminded that it was my favorite place to hang out as a kid. I loved feeling the cool ocean breeze and skipping rocks on the beach. I loved swinging on the swing set with my mom just up the hill. I loved taking my dog on walks with my sister. I loved riding around on my electric scooter with my dad.
This was the destination that I didn't know I had. This was what made the walk in the darkness worth it.
Denouement
After spending some time at the pier taking in the fresh air, I began my trek back to my house.
Once I lost sight of the pier, the darkness began to creep back around me. However, this time I was more prepared, more equipped to deal with what was to come. I knew the dark would catch up to me, but I didn't need the light to guide me any more; the pier gave me a sense of direction.
After some time walking, I found a lonely park bench underneath a streetlight. I decided to sit down and take it all in, this time not because I felt that I needed it, but because I could. Because there's no harm in taking your time. I sat for a good while.
And then I stepped outside the light, not into fear, but into whatever came next.
