By Marisol

I felt my heartbeat pounding in my chest as I clenched my fist and ran. My every deep breath filling the empty space of silence. It was close behind, seeping across my bedroom walls. My body shook with fright as I leaped to my escape. I was received by the soft landing onto my cozy bed.

I squeezed my vulnerable body against the top corner of my bed, where my bed met with the wall. I rushed to pull the sheets over my head, for I didn’t want to see ”them” again. The bed sheets felt like a shield keeping my fear locked out. I found myself sitting in the dark stillness of my bedroom…All alone. I wanted my mommy to hold me tight, and remind me it would all go away in the morning. But, it was too late she had fallen fast asleep by then.

I ever so carefully peered over the covers to see if they were gone, but I would regret it. I saw them, the shadows, as they peered at me with their dark, grim faces.  They greeted me with a whisper. They liked to roam around my room, especially in my closet. They wouldn’t leave me alone.  Every night when I would turn out the lights they would come to see me again. Sometimes, I would never go back to sleep and end up having stayed awake all night.

When I finally caught a sliver of sunlight refract off my mirror I felt relief, the endless night was over! Sunlight filled my room, and the shadows were gone. My mother asked me how I slept, and I told her about my sleepless night. That’s when she told me…”It’s ok to be afraid. I once had a huge fear of heights, and I told myself that to face my fear, I had to look it in the eyes and believe that I could overcome any obstacle. I had to believe that nothing could scare me or get in my way. That’s when I decided that to face my fear I would have to ride a Ferris wheel, and I did. If I could face my fear of heights, than I know that you can face your fear of the dark”.

That night I did. When I turned out the lights, I told myself what my mother had said, I would have to believe I was fearless. I hear the ‘click’ of  the light switch as my vision quickly adjusted to the darkness. Then, something happened. I didn’t run, I didn’t  shack, I didn’t feel afraid. I didn’t even see the shadows. That’s when I had overcome my fear, my fear of the dark.