Fiction Park
Unraveling the secrets of the dark
There was something about the darkness that just fascinated her. With each passing night, she just felt more and more connections with it. She never fought with herself for being in love with the night, and nor did she ever question her sanity.Kamana Sen
As always, she was staring at the night sky, trying to know its depths and the secrets it carried. She didn’t even cast the tiniest glance at the beauty of the moon or at the stars that were trying to reduce the darkness of the night. She believed that the moon and the stars themselves were captivated by the night sky. They assisted it in concealing its depth and mystery with their mesmerising beauty so that one day the darkness would be pleased by their loyalty and reveal the dark mystery and secrets to them, which it had been storing in its core for an infinity. So, she thought that the moon and the stars were in the same phase she was in too. She had a firm belief that one day she would plunge into its depths, and though little, she would get some of its secrets from it.
It wasn’t that she was never thought to appreciate the beauty and charm that only life could bestow; it also wasn’t that she had a corrupted mind and soul; nor was it that she despised light and the hopes and the fantasies it brought. But there was something about the darkness that just fascinated her. With each passing night, she just felt more and more connections with it. She never fought with herself for being in love with the night, and nor did she ever question her sanity. She just went with the flow, with a strong belief that there ought to be a reason for that. She knew darkness would only bring her misery and loneliness but she was proud of her decision to stay with the dark. She was sure that it would never leave her side. She had accepted darkness a long time ago, right from when she could understand the difference between light and hope and darkness and sorrow. She never questioned herself for choosing darkness because she was certain it would never change the track of her life like light does. Darkness doesn’t mask itself and it doesn’t change with the changes in the circumstances. It simply doesn’t have to and why should it? It always remains truthful and loyal towards itself and in the lives of those who accept it.
She herself didn’t exactly know the reasons for her love towards darkness and she wasn’t sure if the darkness too felt the same longings and connections she felt for it. But that was the thing that made her choose its side. Darkness never has expectations for anyone; nor will it ever have. The dark night made her feel complete, gave a cause for her existence—to breathe the sweet air in and out of her lungs every day. It in fact kept her going. Expectations were always a burden or so she thought them to be.
Although she had undeniable connections with darkness, she never persuaded others to embrace it too. She knew that everyone had the right to make their own choices, and she felt it wise to leave them to their own judgments. Nobody knew about her devotions to the darkness, not even her own family she wanted to keep the faith of darkness in the dark—since it enjoys being concealed and that’s why it is so dangerous and mysterious.
Just as the dark night charmed the moon and the stars to conceal its dark truth, did she also not allow light to have access to her? Her curiosity for darkness and her lover for it had never corrupted her soul as people say it does—though it had brought some loneliness to her life. However, she had no complaints. She wasn’t a fighter to fight against the odds and she definitely wasn’t a rebel who questioned things. She called herself a ‘seeker’ of the darkness.
But today when she glanced up at the night sky as usual, she was feeling somewhat restless; she was confused. Then she suddenly heard someone whimpering in pain down the street. She tried to ignore it at first, but she couldn’t stop herself going over to see what was happening there. She found a woman peacefully sitting on a bench, staring at the night sky. By then, the whimpering calls had stopped.
“I think that the moon knows the secrets of the darkness,” the woman whispered, looking at her and motioning her to sit on the bench. She, like an obedient child followed the words and looked at the woman curiously. She was scared. It wasn’t because of the fact that the woman talked about the darkness. Because it was the first time that she had become as curious of a person as she was of the darkness.
“Darkness has found the moon loyal enough to share some of its secrets; that is why certain portions of the darkness are spilled on it. However , the moon has no complaints since it believes nothing can ever be perfect, expect for the darkness; and the dark spots is what makes it worth looking at,” the woman continued. She just nodded. With every passing word of the woman, she felt as if she was entering the realm of darkness, and she found darkness dangerously proximal to her. Then after a while, the two just remained in silence.
“I had heard someone groaning with pain here on the street a few minutes ago. Was it you?”She asked calmly after she remembered the sole reason for being there on the street in the middle of the night. The woman looked at her with a serious yet surprising look. “It wasn’t me. Do you know sometimes one’s soul can become so restless in the search for reasons and answers that it can’t hide its frustrations from its owner; it just cries with the agony of not being able to do so. Whenever we are in a dilemma, we seek solutions too. But we forget that it is our soul who answers it. See, the soul prides itself in having solutions and reasons for every question and problem. And well, when it can’t do so, its pride will be broken and if we’re very much connected to our soul, we can hear its cries”
Hoping for more answers, she asked the woman, “What do you think is the secret of darkness and the dark night?” though she knew no one could answer that precisely.
“Well child, the darkness is itself the secret of light,” the woman said. Then she stood up and disappeared into the embrace of darkness.