What Lies in the Dark

  

  Something was off.  The old man could sense it.  From where he sat on the park bench, he could feel the change in the wind, the soft kiss of malevolence grazing his bare neck.  The streetlamp above him flickered suddenly and burnt out, leaving the old man alone in a night as black as the Devil’s eyes.  Fear began to creep its way into the old man’s heart, cold and menacing.  Adrenaline made his skin tingle with anticipation, yet he had no idea why.  Then he saw…something.  A light, glowing a fluorescent blue, was fading in and out just down the dark street.  Despite his fear, he felt his feet begin to move towards the fascinating blue light.  It was as if a glorious angel had come to save him from the suffocating darkness.  As soon as the old man was within 100 feet of the beautiful blue light, it changed form.  It was no longer a shining star, guiding him out of the deep night, but his late wife, Maureen.  She was calling to him, beckoning him closer.  Paralyzed by a deep array of emotions, the old man stood staring at his deceased wife, tears falling down his face.  As he was incapable to move, Maureen came closer to him, her blue light illuminating the street before him.  The last thing the old man remembers was opening his mouth to scream.

*** 

     The little boy could not find his grandpa.  He had told his grandpa that he would come right back to the park bench after he had finished trick-or-treating at the local high school across the street.  They had agreed upon meeting at the park bench- his grandpa’s favorite park bench- after the little boy’s plastic pumpkin was filled to the brim with candy.  Now, he could not find him.  After scouring the deserted street for his grandpa, the little boy eventually went back to the grey bench where his grandpa once sat, and took a seat.  He assumed that his grandpa might have wanted to do some trick-or-treating himself, as the old man did quite like his Twix bars.  The little boy sat his plastic pumpkin down on the bench next to him, and began counting his candy under the yellow light of a streetlamp.  Suddenly, it became difficult to count his candy; for, the streetlamp above him began to flicker.  As soon as the little boy looked up, the light died, leaving the little boy in utter darkness.  The boy felt his heart clench like a fist; he was afraid of the dark.  The dark is where his worst fears could come to life, and were set free.  Crippled with fear, the little boy sat stock-still on the park bench, and listened for any noise in the eerie night.  Instead of hearing a noise, he saw a fluorescent blue light off in the distance.  The little boy could not move fast enough.  All he could think about was getting away from this awful darkness.  As the boy neared the bright blue light, he tripped and fell onto the pavement before him.  At least, he had thought it was pavement.  There was a whole world underneath him, a world full of suffering, and of hate.  Writhing corpses stretched their bony hands up out of pits of raging fire.  Their bloodcurdling howls of true pain, sorrow, and envy rose up from their flaming graves.  A river of shadows flowed in between the pits of flaming torture, and the little boy could only guess what lie beneath the inky black water.  The little boy had read about this place, the Underworld.  The sight alone made his body tremble, and horror was set free to tear apart any rational thoughts he may have.  The little boy was then drawn out of his trance when he saw an eerie blue light out of the corner of his eye.  Turning his head ever so slowly, he saw that the light was in the form of a person.  It was his grandpa, but the little boy did not remember his grandpa having coal black eyes.