I was never scared of the dark. Never saw it as a threat. I liked how the trees looked. I liked the sound of the wind and the smell of the night. I liked how the darkness could hide anything. Even the unspeakable truths, darkness could hide it under its cloak. Hide it from the rest of the world. Hide it from the light.
Because the light, oh, it can make everything visible. Even the things you wish it wouldn’t.
It was around noon when I started to see them. I was waiting for the bus, standing at the edge of a cafe. Then I saw him. An enormous figure slowly began to walk towards me. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t need to. I knew very well who he was and all I wanted was to get away from him. Even seeing its huge shadow gave me chills. As soon as the bus arrived, I got on it and tried to complete my journey without rolling my eyes out of the window. But even though my eyes couldn’t see him, I knew he was watching me. Because I knew him and the others, better than anyone.
I met the second one days later after I got out of the house for work. She was just like a silhouette, only more shaped and delicate. She was sitting under the streetlamp. Even though she saw me, she didn’t move. I guess she liked the way that the light made her shadow look so much bigger than her own tiny body. Yes, she was small but I knew how dangerous she was. Even if our eyes didn’t meet, I knew she was begging me to look into her eyes, but I was too experienced to fall for that trick.
You can never see the third one, neither its shadow nor itself. It doesn’t help if I don’t look around or if I avoid the lights. It makes its presence felt, as always. And always waits for the right moment. It hits where it can hurt the most, where it can be most painful. Then they all come together. All my mistakes. Lies, heartbreaks, addictions, regrets, anger… All of them. What has always been there becomes visible in the light. Their shadows never leave you.