Another Ardagh and Elwick writing prompt: Darnkess
Ten minutes to come up with something. Here is mine:
I grew up in a house that made noises in the darkness. Creaking, mostly, of the bottom three stairs. I would hide under my duvet after Mum had turned the lights out, only my mouth and nose poking out so I could breath (I still do this when I’m sleeping alone, all these years later). My overactive imagination goes swimming in the darkness, diving into its depths and dragging scary things back up with it. I close my eyes tight and tell myself not to picture them, but then they are there and they are watching me. I try not to look. I try to think of something else instead. But they just stand there staring. Sometimes they move towards me. Slowly. I’m thankful that they very rarely run. If they ran I wouldn’t have time to reach my arm out from under the covers and turn on the lamp. Then they are gone, as quickly as they came. I blink as my eyes adjust to the light and I hear the silence I hadn’t noticed before, as my heart stops thud, thud, thudding in my chest. And I lie there, staring at the ceiling, too afraid to sleep. O_O