Decker, Aubrey, The Darkness Pulls Over Everything

Aubrey Decker

It all started in a room full of brightness. The curtains were almost always wide open. I had pictures of all of my friends

on the wall, white bedsheets, and a clean, organizedwhite desk. I was sitting in my neat room as the news struck; we would

not be returning back to school. As the news spread, and the pandemic grew, I noticed the world almost started to get darker.

And as the world got darker, so did my room.

I first started by upgrading my curtains to blackout ones. I didn’t want to see the outside anymore. It was so empty. It

seemed minuscule at first, but the more I left the curtains closed, the more I noticed the change. I removed most of my photos

off of the wall. I couldn't live to have those memories still surrounding me. Everything was so much better, so much brighter. A

lot of leftover space appeared. The walls lookedempty, depressing, and dark now. There was no concept of time in my room.

There was no natural lighting to remind me of the time. I had no responsibility. I started to stay up later and sleep longer,

going to bed at 6 o’clock in the morning and waking up at 5 o’clock at night. My desk eventually got messier. I spent all my time

in my bed, but still, my desk was a mess. Stains from makeup, leftover papers, garbage from Amazon packages. My room was

becoming a pit of darkness and messiness. It was barely livable, yet I started spending more and more time in there. I only left

when necessary. I decided a white desk wasn't for me. I upgraded to all new black furniture. Once again, the room got darker.

The only thing left that wasn't completely dark was my bedsheets.

Then miraculously, one afternoon, I woke up to new bedsheets waiting for me on the table. I liked my new room. It

made me feel like I was away from the outside. As time progressed, and the world got darker, so did my room. So did my life.

Although I always love the way my room looks, I find it nearly impossible not to change it. I feel as if my room fluctuates based

on my mood. While I was going through a dark time, my room shifted to a dark setting as well. Our rooms are so personal to

us; it makes sense for them to change and grow.