"Do you know who Darkness is? No, you don't! So don't treat me like a little kid that just had a nightmare! I've seen Darkness before. And I'll see him again. He wants me, and nothing is going to get in his way to get me." With that Sheila slumped down to the floor and burst �nto tears. "He's going to get me anywhere, anytime. And there's noth mg I can do to stop it. I can't run away from the dark for the rest of my life. He wants me; he can have me!" Joe walked over to where Sheila was sitting and sat down next to her. e � watched t�e tears flow down her cheeks. ''There is a way to stop him, and I thmk you know how, don't you? If you really meant what you just said, you wo�ldn't be crying. I'll help you stop him, but only if you want to stop him, too. Deal?" He lifted her chin until her eyes were even with his. "Deal?" he repeated. ''Deal.'' "Good. Now tell me, who exactly is this Darkness guy, and how can _ we stop him?" "I don't really know who he is. All I know is that he comes from the dark, lives in it, breathes in it, breeds in it, and thrives on it. He can not stand the light, which is why he does his feeding at night. He fee�s o� us, people, and sometimes he selects a few people to be come like him, servants of the Dark. Like me." "Okay, now that I know what he is, I can help you kill him." "Kill him? Me? You? No way. I cannot face Darkness again. He's too horrible for me to fight against.'' ''You mean you'd rather be on his side and kill more innocent people than kill him?" "No ... I mean ... Okay, what do we do?" Sheila asked resignedly. "Great, now here's what we do ... " Night �aded away and Joe and Sheila spent the whole day preparing f?r the night ahead of them. They did as much as possible before it was time to fight. Day faded into night and now it was time to face Darkness. T�ey sat in the dark, waiting for him to appear. Night went away and daylight came. Then another day passed and then another. Finally, three days later, he came. And they were ready. Sheila stood in the middle of the room calling out to Darkness. "Darkness, I'm here. I'm waiting for you. I want to become one with you, to be like you. I'm here, Darkness, waiting." Darkness swept over the area, saw Sheila and heard her sweet voice calling to him. He rushed over to her, and grasped her in his form, he 6
became one with her. Absorbing her life and transforming it to evil and darkness. She screamed, her cries filled the air, and then the lights came on. Joe stood by the light switch watching in horror as Darkness enveloped her. Darkness screamed and released Sheila from his grasp. She fell to the floor, convulsing and crying as the echoes of Darkness's screams fad ed away. Running over to Sheila and holding her in his arms, Joe apologized over and over. "I'm sorry, Sheila. I should have never suggested it. Lord, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" He wiped away her tears and brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed when Joe hugged her. When she opened them, they were as black as the night and then suddenly they faded away to her normal color. Somewhere in the distance, an eerie laugh rang through the air ...
-Jennifer Miers
Deaf Like Me Here I am walking in this hearing world. Searching for someone to put a joy into me. I can imagine finding someone who is deaf like me. Walking alone being understood. Wondering if I'm supposed to be deaf? Why can't they understand my culture? That's why I'm feeling so lonely in this world because no one understands.
-Mike Kent 7
Aerie Staff Left to right: John Castrese, Abigail Strauss, Michelle Bachman, Wanda Riddle, Kathy Lindsay, and April Lindbergh. Absent Margie English, Hildur Johannsdottir, and Jenny Perlis.
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