After the Dark
This is a short story I wrote for the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards Silver Key. I hope to continue improving my writing and getting better! Hope you enjoy.
I didn’t realize time had passed by so fast. My first day here still clung to me, a fresh memory. That day the humans wheeled me out of the dark cardboard box, oily and shiny, smelling of the stingy black paint that coated me from top to bottom. The humans drilled and glued me down, as I stood tall in the middle of a small neighborhood. All I could see were rows of houses lined across the dark concrete road in front of me. I was the tallest one there, everything, everyone, all lay short and stout. What was I supposed to do here? I couldn't spot anybody else around. This was just like the long times I had spent inside the box, staring into the dark, except I had a broader view.
That day I stared up at the endless blue canvas that stretched above me. I watched as the light blue colors turned into a soft dewy orange, wisps of pink floating about, and as all the colors faded away, the backdrop switched into a dark canvas. I suddenly turned on, bright. All of sudden, the darkened space around me illuminated. Specks of floating dust, moths, and insects that had started to preoccupy the dark. A small moth flew by me, disappearing.
Day after day, birds hurried from one place to another. They seemed to never settle down, always chirping a new rhythm, on their way to the next destination. Humans constantly passed by me, either in their small but surprisingly loud rumbling cars that they drove, or when they were on a run or walk.They’ve never stopped by me and never stood under my light. The humans in this neighborhood seemed to live here, yet they had no presence. They never came out for long. Sometimes, the empty brightness around me made me question how much of the world I actually lit up, for there was no one around me to experience it except for me.
As the sky turned dark again today, my light didn’t light up like before. I could feel it flickering, struggling to illuminate the darkness. I had gotten used to the brightness that would constantly arrive when night enveloped me. Yet, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Though I didn’t keep track for the time fairly well, it had been a while since my light first started to shine. It had been flickering on and off for a long time. Surprisingly, despite the flickering, my light had managed to persist throughout the night. This time, however, it seemed to heave a sigh as it dimmed, distinguishing. The darkness was so consuming at first, it felt like I was being swallowed into the black.
And my light didn’t come back. For a few more days it twitched and fluttered, but still left me alone amongst the darkness. Whatever was I doing on this street anymore? I couldn’t light up anything, and all I could do was to simply stay still inside the darkness. With the lack of my light, I saw the children heading home quicker, their parents glancing up at my vanished light. The long evening walks humans went on soon became afternoon and morning walks. Whenever night time came, I was more alone than ever. No light to take away the darkness, and no humans around me.
But it was then I noticed the bright shapes that hung above me. They hung atop the dark sky where the white clouds used to drift. I hadn’t ever noticed them before, because they were never there during the blue. Did they always come out during the dark? Millions of the bright stars twinkled above me, some were small dots, others were bigger and brighter, occasionally momentarily disappearing under the blink of an eye, but then would quickly flutter back to light. But there was one that was the biggest of them all, the moon’s light stretching across thousands of miles, casting light on the tall trees that I once could never reach before. It was fascinating, seeing something else’s light reach to the corners of my world, when it was so far away. I had always been proud of the light that I could provide, but only once was it gone, did I realize how many others could provide light for the world as well. They seemed so far away, and yet I could feel their light. They lit up the darkness, when I used to think I was the only one.
On another dark night, someone stopped beside me. I felt the warmth of the pers body as tsettled against me. Through the moonlight, I saw the person slouch their back and droop their shoulders as they leaned beside me. The human seemed to almost be relaxed, despite their posture. Accompanied by the sound of a click, the flickering of a small spark of fire, I caught a glimpse of the person’s face. It was a woman, and she was gazing upwards towards the sky. That was when my memory rushed back to me. She was the woman who always was running or driving past me, her ear-piercing shouts echoing throughout the neighborhood as she chased after her toddlers, who, in my opinion, were one of the most annoying types of human beings. She was always rushing around, carrying the bags of groceries from her car that no one around her ever seemed to have time to carry. Oh, I have never seen this woman so silent. Without the constant noise that accompanied her presence, it seemed odd to see her out by herself. She let out a long breath of smoke, and I watched the puffs slowly travel up into the sky.
A ringing noise broke out through the silent night. The woman’s silhouette glanced back in the direction of her home, and sighed as she picked up the call, almost cringing as she placed the phone by her ear. Within moments, she disappeared back into the home. All that was left of her presence was the tingling scent of the cigarette, hovering about the air.
I welcomed the next day with a strange sensation. A lightweight sat atop me. It wasn’t quite that heavy, but it seemed as if my head was clouded. It was when I realized. Two small birds had built a nest upon my now dull and darkened light post. They were so small, the small dip amongst my light was now perfect for a new home. They chirped the usual tunes, as if to secretly communicate where they would head next to gather the leaves and branches for their new home. Just as I heard a final squeak the bird flying away, and after a few minutes, flew back once more. As it began to slow down, its beak clinging to one single branch, a new addition to their nest. Maybe now that I was the birds’ home, no one else would replace me now, and I would be able to stand here forever, even if I didn’t light up anymore.
On another moonlit night, a boy and the girl walked down the street. Their paces slow, but both seemed to be nervous. I could see the silhouette of the boy’s face, an energetic teenager that was always rubbing their hands and necks, their mouths open and closing, biting their lips. Their steps were in unison, hands brushing against one another but barely touching. Their eyes wandered around the street, looking everywhere but each other. As the boy turned away, the girl looked up at him. I was getting frustrated. Humans were always rushing from one place to the next, and yet let the time pass by so slowly, afraid to make a move. But as I was getting impatient, the boy tentatively step closer to the girl, his head tilted towards her. Half of his face was illuminated, and they made eye contact. Finally, I saw their hands meld together. They stepped under the dark shadow of my post, and sat down. I could hear murmured voices, but this night was theirs. Amidst the darkness, they both seemed to light up.
Night after night, the moon, the stars, and the chirping birds accompanied me. I noticed two small cocoons hanging on me. Humans stopped by me, each a different person than they were in the day. I stood amidst the trees without my light, content.
A new day came around. The air was calm, and the neighborhood felt at ease, I looked down the road, just as a dark vehicle pulled in, its engine rumbling and running. On the low dip of the back, a tall and long dark cardboard box sat there, the stinging artificial smell of paint slowly flowing across the neighborhood.