A Light That Never Fades

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Samy dreamt of her mother that following night. She was six years old at the time, trying to get some sleep as she laid underneath the covers of her bed. She shut her eyes, waiting for sleep to take over her mind. What seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes that passed by made young Samy continuously move around on her bed as she tried to get herself comfortable. Suddenly, she hears a loud scraping sound come from outside her bedroom window. Samy quickly sits up in a panic, staying still as she stares at her window beside her bed.

The curtains were closed, so her entire room was terrifically darkened, not allowing Samy's eyes to clearly adjust to the dark that surrounded her. The little girl could distinctly hear strong wind roaring from outside, the scraping sound getting louder each second. It started to terrify her now, she strongly hated the dark. She could feel herself shaking from fear as her mind only thought of the worst. Quiet sobs emanated from her, she brought her knees up to her chest and tightly hugged them as a way to protect herself from whatever could be lingering in the dark.

Samy gasps as she hears the creaking sound of her bedroom door open. The lightswitch in her room turns on, slowing the young girl's heart down as she takes notice of her Mom standing at her doorway. Samy hadn't realized how loud her sobs had gotten before, she felt so relieved to have her Mom come to her aid. The black haired woman scurried over to her daughter's side, immediately feeling concerned for the little girl. The woman gently wrapped her arms around Samy, reassuring her quietly that everything was going to be alright.

Samy sniffs, her tears had slowly stopped and had begun drying on her face now that her mother was here to comfort her. They break away from the hug, her Mom wipes away a tear from the young girl's cheek that had not yet dried. She gives her a sweet smile to which Samy found herself to have all the fear she once had before eluted from existence. Her heart no longer pounded in her chest and she was also no longer shaking.

"What's the matter? Did something happen?", her Mom softly spoke to her.

The little girl looks around her room and then to her window, "I heard something outside. There's something scratching against my window". Her Mom raises an eyebrow in question, she gets up to check behind the curtains. To young Samy's surprise, there was nothing there, nobody...but a tree branch that the wind blew continuously. Samy's Mom realized the cause of the noise shortly after, she brought the curtains closed and made her way back to Samy's side. The smile was back on the woman's face, causing little Samy to feel a little embarrassed for being afraid of such a thing.

"There's nothing out there, just a tree branch. There's nothing to be afraid of Samy. Your Dad and I will always be here close by. I will always be here", her Mom gently says to her as she soothed the little girl's brown hair.

Samy's face forms a light smile, "I know. It's just that I get so scared to be alone here in the dark. I don't want to feel like that anymore". Her mom brings a hand up softly to the little girl's face, she remembers something she had stored in their home from such a long while ago. "Wait here, I'll be right back"

Samy watches her Mom go, waiting patiently and wondering what it could be that her Mom went to fetch for. It took less than a minute before Samy finally saw her mother return back into her room with something in her hand. The woman plugged the unknown object to an outlet that sat not too far from Samy's bed, she quickly realized it to be a nightlight that was shaped like a sun. It illuminated brightly inside her room.

The woman returned back to her seat beside the young girl, "The dark won't ever get to my sweet little girl now. Not with a light by her side shining away everything that makes her afraid. Get some sleep tonight, okay?". Samy nods after listening to her Mom's calming words. The woman plants a soft kiss on Samy's forehead, then brings the blanket over to her to tuck her in for bed. As her Mom begins walking to the end of the doorway, she slightly turns her head to face the little girl one last time before leaving.