Darkness

The sun has set a while ago. It’s dark. The moon shines bright in the sky, but it barely lights up the room. I’ve been lying in bed, awake, for hours now, but sleep won’t come. I’m home alone and something doesn’t feel right. You know that feeling when you know that something is about to happen, before it even does? That's how I'm feeling right now. The empty house should be quiet and yet, I hear a noise downstairs. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It’s nothing, I try to convince myself. I'm not really scared of the darkness, but I'm not really at ease with it either, especially when I'm home alone. I hear the noise again. My heart is beating fast. I’m being paranoid, I think and turn around in bed, willing myself to fall asleep, but sleep doesn’t come. The noise is back once more. It’s closer this time. I get out of bed and walk to the door. I don’t know if it’s to see where the noise comes from or to try and get out of here. I open the door as quietly as possible. It creaks softly, making my heart pound harder. I take a tentative step outside and look around. The hallway is enveloped by darkness, but there is nothing there. I hear the noise again. It’s coming from downstairs. Hesitantly, I walk down half the staircase. I look around the living room, only to find it empty. It’s just my imagination, I decide and walk the rest of the way downstairs. Now that I’m up anyways, I might as well get a glass of water. A lot calmer than before, I walk into the kitchen. Glass of water in hand, I lean against the counter. A loud banging noise frightens me, making me drop the glass. It shatters at my feet, making me jump. I grab the first object I can put my hands on, a large cutting board I’d used to make dinner earlier. I take a few steps towards the living room. Looking around for anything unusual. One step after another. My palms are sweating and my hearts pounds harder than it ever has before. A few more steps, then I arrive at the corner. Whatever’s in the house, is behind that corner. I put my back against the wall, take a deep breath to gather all the courage left in me and look around the corner. The lamp besides the sofa is on the floor in pieces, but besides that there’s nothing. I frown. Lamps don’t just fall by themselves. I spot the phone on the couch and make my way towards it. Halfway there, something bumps into my leg, making me scream and drop the cutting board on my foot. I look behind me and see my cat. I sigh relieved and roll my eyes. “So, you’re the troublemaker that has been keeping me awake all night,” I tell the cat. I look up at the window and see the sun coming up. The darkness slowly fades away, letting the sun illuminate the room. A new day starts, making the events of the night fade away, soon to be forgotten. The only reminder of what happened being the broken lamp and glass. A few hours from now the darkness will take over again, but for now, everything is okay.