Night

Chapter 1: Night

Night and Day

Silent yet bustling. Dark yet bright with the vibrant light of life. Alive, yet asleep.

Night is a wondrous phenomenon. It existence contradicts itself. A time of rest is what it is most commonly known as, but why is it that I feel most alive, basking in the energy given to me by the darkness. Staring at the sea of lights illuminating the city, the darkness of the slightly overcast sky sets a beautiful background for a bustling city like Wordenborg. While still maintaining to be surprisingly not intrusive to our activities, unlike its sunny counterpart. There are no actual shadows in the darkness of night, only subtle ones cast by lights that illuminate the streets.

I feel safe in the night. It’s a relaxing feeling. I bask in the darkness, as it envelops my surroundings and closes my eyes. As night falls, I am finally able to see. Not with my eyes, but with my heart. I am wary and afraid during the day. I stand not with the sole of my feet, but with the tips of my toes, afraid that the ground will swallow me whole. It is during the day that everything has a shadow. Behind every smiling face of teenagers walking down the street, there is a shadow behind where they are walking, many a time much taller than the objects which cast them themselves.

Shadows are scary. They represent the side of everyone nobody wants people to know about them. The side they continually hide. The side they continually try to cast behind themselves, destined to stalk them for eternity. These shadows are strong, a shade of black. Everybody crossing paths on a busy sidewalk has their  inner demons deep within themselves, taking refuge in the many web of lies and deceptions woven within their heart, to deceive nobody other than themselves. It is a disgusting sight. Nobody can be trusted in the day, where everybody wears a mask over their faces. Fake smiles pollute shopping centers as salesmen desperately try to promote products they loathe themselves. In the mornings, we wake from the night. Some work hard to forget what happened amidst the chaos and weariness of the night. Some hold it close to their heart, the feeling of serenity amongst their hectic lifestyles refresh them like a cold bath on a blistering hot summer day.

Why do people try so desperately to forget the euphoria that night has gifted them. The feeling of being truly alive during the night relinquishes the fervor and energy cast away during the day. However, he night is ruthless to those who live amidst lies. The night will tear those shadows apart. The serenity and the beauty of the night, for most, is a retreat, a nest to relax. But for those who harbor secrets dark as the sky itself, for those who live on self-induced lies and deception, it is hell. Night is where your shadows fade and blend in with the sky. It’s where your real side breaks out of its shell. It's when the mask falls off and reveals the face of the devil. Even the hardiest of thugs and criminals fear the overwhelming force of the night. To them, it’s a trap. The weariness chips at you like rust slowly corroding a steel bar, even the most sturdy ones are not let off the hook. Everybody is a lot more human at night, and that’s what I most enjoy.

The lady that wore a fake smile on her otherwise beautiful face, while serving me tea at the restaurant I dined at, was laughing vividly and loudly, her mask peeled off by the night. She was clearly weary from work, and everything else piled on top of it. Her family problems, her relationship issues, all piled up upon those small shoulders of hers. But once night struck, she slept. She takes a break from all these wicked responsibilities our warped modern society has thrown at us, and indeed basks in the happiness of life and the interactions between her and her friends. She smiles. She laughs, like she’s fifteen again, without a care in the world.

The bright sun doesn’t make things clearer, but rather ironically, it blurs the line between evil and good, truth and lies. Rather, the night exposes our true colours, illuminating the sky with a spectrum created in this beautiful society of ours, as some of our bodies come to rest. The light we give out, the colours emanating from the very essence of our souls hold our hand to the land of our dreams. This is where nightmares will haunt you relentlessly, making you lethargic and weary even after a long night sleep. While, on the contrary, those who shine out bright colours from their heart, are lead to Utopia, where they can stay for a night. There, they are treated like a king, rewarded for being good, being honest and bearing responsibilities without letting out a single grudge. The contrast of night, rather, makes it easier to distinguish between the baffling duality that surrounds our universe.