The Difference

There is an ever-constant battle between Darkness and Light. No, not a battle- a war. The war has been going on, every day, every second, since the beginning of time. Every day we watch as they tear at each other, both fighting to come out on top, and yet we are barely aware of it. Very few people get the chance to witness the true war between the two enemies. 

She was one of the few. 

She, like most everyone else, did not realize how bitter and serious the war really was. Until that day. 

She is alone, and Darkness appears first. He almost always does. He wants to get the chance of having the first strike, thinking that it will give him the advantage.

He is not a man, but a force, deadly and powerful. Dark tendrils of a thick smoke-like substance surround him as he appears, so that they wrap around him, weaving between possible arms, legs. Among the smoke, only his face is visible. An awful, terrible, sneering face. Darkness shadows everything he crosses, everything in his path- including her. She looks up at him, she freezes and does not move- can not move. Darkness does that to a person, chokes them up until they are motionless out of alarm and shock.

Darkness meets her fearful eyes with his own gleaming ones and advances. 

Slowly, at first. Darkness knows he mustn’t rush things, or the rapid approach will make her run off. So he pushed towards her, slowly, patiently. Her fear gradually grows, and Darkness feeds on that fear. He always does. He lives off of the fear, the doubt, the dread of his prey. It nourishes him, makes him darker, stronger. He presses forward, growing closer and larger until he is looming over her, a monstrous nightmare, an unavoidable doom. She shrinks back, her fear turning to terror. 

Terror is when Darkness strikes. 

So he strikes. 

She doesn’t know what is coming until after it comes. 

All at once, his terrible power washes over her, enveloping her, consuming her with a thick, suffocating blackness that is impossible to see through. It tears through her, gnawing at her terror, ripping, shredding, destroying her. She falls to her knees, trying, trying to fight him off, but Darkness has a deadly strategy- he will not back down. 

He is too strong, too powerful. With effort, her mouth opens, and with all her strength she gives one pleading, painful, desperate cry for help. 

And in the split second before she surrenders completely to Darkness-

-She meets Light. 

He, like Darkness, comes slowly. He comes steadily, never hesitating as he advances. And, unlike Darkness, he comes to help, to aid, to comfort- not destroy. 

At first, through the darkness, she sees little slits of light, and though they are thin, it gives her hope. Light feeds on hope. Hope and joy and relief. The light glows, grows bigger, the darkness fades thinner. Light washes slowly yet steadily over her, little by little, and she clings to it, until an indescribable wave of relief and joy passes through her, hitting at the very center of her heart. 

And Light continues to push forward, growing stronger from her joy, shooting Darkness backward, away, away, away. 

Relieved, she finally gets a good look at Light. 

He is a magnificent, vivid white, brilliant gentle rays of light surrounding him. He is soft yet strong, with a kind face, a good face that she knows she can trust instantly. 

Her breath restored, her gratitude full, she looks upwards and watches with awe. 

Light and Darkness face each other, two brothers, two magnificent, overwhelmingly powerful forces. Enemies, fighting with one another since the beginning of time. And they will continue to fight, until one or the other surrenders-or is defeated- completely. 

The brothers meet each other’s eyes; Light’s radiating and piercing gaze, Darkness’s loathing and shadowy gaze. They stay there, motionless, for several silent moments, looking at each other. What it is that keeps their attention, no one knows. Darkness looks at Light and his face is twisted into a hating glare. Light looks at Darkness, and his face is gentle, his eyes sad. Perhaps Darkness watches Light and is jealous, jealous that he will never be as powerful as his brother. And perhaps Light looks at his brother and remembers in sadness of what Darkness once was, before he was Darkness. 

Finally, Light speaks one word. His voice is soft, but, like his countenance, it holds incredible power. “Go.” 

And Darkness goes, because Darkness must always leave in the presence of Light. 

When you light a candle in the middle of a suffocatingly dark cave, you are able to see, even if just a few feet in front of you. The darkness is still there, ever constant, but the light always pushes it away far enough away for you to take a step. Then another. Even in the darkest blackness, the thickest shadow, the faintest sliver of light will change the view from despair to hope. And no matter how small, hope is always stronger than despair. 

So Darkness leaves, casting one more glance behind him to glare at her. She resisted his power.  She cried out for help, and Darkness was defeated. 

He will remember her. 

He fades from view, and she tips her head back and looks up at Light. She opens her mouth to thank him, but nothing comes out. There are no words to fully express what she feels. 

Light seems to understand. He swirls around her, his light banishing the last bits of Darkness. His light is warm and radiant, and she stays on her knees, watching with wonder. Through the swirls of brightness, Light smiles gently at her, and then he lifts up, up, into the sky, fading, but staying near. 

She knows Darkness will be back. She looks at the spot where Darkness left,  feeling a spark of fear, but it soon fades. She is not afraid, not when she has gained the greatest victory of all. 

She has Light on her side. 

And Light will always triumph over Darkness.