11/3/2013
ANNA JANKOWSKA
LOST IN THE DARK
American School of Warsaw |Anna Jankowska
Dedicated to Alberto, the guarding dog for helping me get over my fears
Lost in the Dark “Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock” the clock made loud and quick sounds. I opened my eyes and looked around myself. The only thing I could see was pure darkness. There was only a dim moonlight coming from the window. I shoved the bed covers of my body and placed them on the floor. The cold stone floor gave me the shivers. A giant lamp stood on the wooden table. The black switch was hanging from its top. I walked over and pulled the black switch and expected rays of blinding light. Instead I got a spark that disappeared in a second. Oh no I thought. How could this happen? No light? My fears took over me. “Go to bed, Go to Bed, Go to bed” I kept repeating to myself as I covered myself with the bed sheets. It was too late. The darkness started to change it shape. Human shapes started to appear within it. I looked away. I turned around again and there was only darkness. I could see nothing else. I went up to the window of the room. The sea glimmered in the moonlight and the town lights have been gone. “What time could it be?” I thought to myself. I could have sat here the whole night, if that meant I could stay in the light. Thinking of sitting in full darkness gave me goose bumps. I hated walking into a place where I can’t see a thing. Suddenly, a bad feeling inside me started to work. I realized why I woke up in the first place. My throat was as dry as a desert and I felt like I would start choking. I panicked and looked around the room for a bathroom. If I couldn’t find something to drink I had to find the sink. I didn’t like the idea of drinking tap water but my throat was killing me. I started coughing hard and trying to find a bottle. My eyes couldn’t catch a glimpse of anything except the door on the end of my room that lead into the hallway. There was no bathroom in my room and I had to find one somehow in complete darkness. I slowly started heading for the room exit. I was shaking by every step. My fear of the darkness was far too big for me to even try to be brave. I already imagined the horrors I could find. I reached the door. My hand twisted the doorknob, which gave out a loud creaking noise. I shivered. I wanted to go back to my bed, but I couldn’t hold it. I felt weak and sick with a very dried neck. “I should have taken water earlier.” I scolded myself, imagining what would happen if I would have taken my need this night. None of this would have to happen. With every footstep I made, the floor made terrifying sounds. I hated myself and my imagination. The violence and monsters I see are unbearable to watch. I heard footsteps in my mind. Strange sounds came from every direction. I looked around myself. A pure black wall of darkness surrounded me. I couldn’t see anything but the golden handles on the doors. I looked through the keyholes one by another and found no sign of storage, a water bottle, a drink or a bathroom. And that means no water. I sighed. “Why?” I kept talking to myself. I started to feel a presence of something nearby. I heard a heavy breathing coming from the side of the hall. I shivered and started to turn around. “Wait.” I said to myself. Isn’t the bathroom in that direction? I think I remember it being over there. I stopped, turned around What is that? I thought to myself. It looked like a stuffed animal and I stopped concerning myself. I came closer to get a better look and stopped breathing. A pair of blue, glowing eyes was gawking at me at the end of the room. They looked as if the creature was neutral but I heard sounds coming from the creature. My heart started pounding against my chest and my mind was racing. I blinked. Maybe it was just my mind that was playing with me and I just imagined it. But I was wrong and the glowing eyes stayed in its place. What if it’s something dangerous? Or maybe it will hurt me? Many different questions generated in my mind. I tried to be brave.
“It’s just darkness. It’s not dangerous. It’s only emptiness.” I kept reminding myself. I slowly started to walk up to the pair of glowing eyes. My whole body was sweating. I felt the scent of wet dirt and the distance between the creature and me shortened. There was a long silence as I stared into the eyes of the creature. I waited for something to happen. Maybe it’s just a decoration? I thought. I came closer to the creature and that was a large mistake. It made a horrific and loud sound. I covered my ears and started moving away. The creature started following me. I forced my legs to go faster and faster, just to get me away from the monstrosity that was chasing me. I ran through long corridors, not knowing where I would eventually end up. I stopped myself from going further. I just wanted to face what was out there. “IT”S JUST MY IMAGINATION” I screamed and instantly covered my mouth waiting for someone to go out of their room and scold me for being up so late in the night. No sound came from the house at all. I only heard the echo of my scream and still waited for footsteps of the adults but nothing happened. I sighed with relief and remembered that I was running from a monstrosity. I slowly turned around. No one was there and that meant I had lost the creature for now. “I hope I don’t ‘find’ it by accident again” I exclaimed and went back to looking. This time, I was super extra careful about every corner of the house. Never will I want to encounter something like that. I felt like I should give up on that water, and leave but the feeling made me cough even harder and I collapsed on my knees. I felt weak and my knees were bending under me. I HAD to find water no matter what, otherwise I’d just faint from dehydration and die. I couldn’t let my fears take over me again. I came up to another corner and slowly peeked on the side. That ‘thing’ was lying on the floor. It’s big, blue eyes were wide open. Behind the dog, I noticed a sign beside a door. On the sign, there was a woman with a red fan in a red dress dancing. Beside there was a word written in big white letters. “Al BANO”. This meant “Bathroom” in Spanish. “I have to get there, no matter what.” I said to myself. I took a deep breath and slowly walked up to the creature. Suddenly, the creature started to change its shape. I realised that the creature that was chasing me the whole time was. It was the dog of the owner of the villa. How could I not realize this? I thought with anger. It was just a plain old dog that was chasing me. How could he look so frightening? The darkness only made the things scarier, but inside, it could actually be only emptiness or something completely harmless. “I’m so stupid.” I said to myself. Next time, it will not turn out like this I thought. It seemed that the dog was just guarding the place. My heart calmed down. I had enough. I was angry, with the fact that I almost woke up the whole house just because I got scared of a dog, because I was still thirsty and that I was completely lost in this mansion and because I actually thought I would die from this. The dog looked at me with its big, blue eyes. I looked at the dog and hugged him because I felt in need of something like that. I was saved though it disgusted me that I had to drink tap water. Luckily I found a pack of water bottles on the top of the toilet. I thought. I quickly grabbed the whole pack and ran out to look for the dog. Since I found the dog close to my room, it meant that he would lead me back to it. The dog was already heading to its resting place. I quickly followed him. After a short walk, we got back to the dogs sleeping place. I left him lying in its bed while I headed straight toward my room. I opened the door and jumped straight back into my bed. “I finally got to my bed!” I thought and released a loud sigh. “I’m done with this” I thought as I closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Although it was 5 years ago, I still remember that moment when I thought a monster was chasing me. I realized that the dark just makes it look scary, but inside it’s something harmless or even emptiness.
When one night Anna wakes up she gets a bad feeling in her throat. She must venture through the dark hallways of a mansion to find what she needs. The only problem is what is hiding in the darkness of these hallways?