Afraid of the Dark

A young mans fears can overwhelm the strongest.

In the stillness of the night, he imagined that beyond the trees and the dark, he could see his future.

The idea of camping alone in the deep forest at first brought the young explorer to realize that he may not be as sane as he thought.

When he mentioned the idea to his love, she laughed at him and told him, “Henry, you are afraid of the dark woods! You said so yourself. You will not last one night in that dark forest. You will be running home in fear because you heard a leaf rustle.”

Henry felt that it may have been a mistake to admit to Dora that he had always been in fear of being in forests in the dark of night.

The young man felt that to satisfy his own soul and to let the love of his life know that he is not the weak man that so many think of him.

Dora was the love of his life and he knew that she did love him dearly. She often would play with words to make him feel better. She knew that he was a good man and a confident man. But the thing she wished most for him was for him to feel that he is in fact a brave man and would always protect her.

As Henry sat by his campfire watching the glowing embers from the wood burning and the sprinkling of sparks cascading up into the dark, he could only think of her, of his Dora and how she looks so beautiful in the glow of the fireplace in their cabin.

“I will not be afraid! I will endure the night and be of strong spirit.” Henry told himself.

As the glow of the fire began to become weak, Henry placed another log on the hot embers and climbed into his sleeping bag.

Within minutes, he began to feel sleepy. But the darkness kept his eyes open. As much as Henry tried to remain awake, he slowly fell asleep.

Before the morning light had begun to show it's glow on the world around him, Henry was awakened by a sound that he had not heard before. He knows what the rustling of leaves on the forest floor sound like and he knows what the sound of footfalls on the pathway make.

Henry strained his hearing and squinted to look through the dim light of the still dark woods.

All the thoughts of wild animals and evil spirits made themselves known in Henry's mind.

Then he remembered what he told himself the night before.

“I will not be afraid! I am a man! I will face whatever the darkness has in store for me and I will win!”

Suddenly, a shape began to appear in the dim light. To Henry it could have been a person or a beast.

Then as if in a dream, he saw his Dora coming closer, following his faithful dog, Red. Then as the first light of the morning sun began to make it's appearance, he said to himself, “I was not afraid. I am a man and I made it through the night. And my reward is the love of my life and my faithful Red leading the way.”

Henry was afraid of something that he had no power over. In his unknowing mind, he thought of the worse things in the forest. When all he had to do was think of his own self and how his own faith in himself would take him to greatness.