In the Light of Darkness

Darkness. Perpetual, cold, unforgiving darkness. 

Luna had never known anything different. Everyone knew that the endless depths of uncertainty that lie beyond the darkness was not for them to find, and what was safest was living in the darkness. 

But the darkness made it impossible to live. Sure, one could physically survive, but living -truly living- was a sacrifice everyone had to make. Luna lay in her bed, the weight of her body and the indescribable pressure weighing her further and further into the mattress. She was engulfed in darkness, lost in time and space. It was cold to live in the dark. Chilling to the bones to withstand, but then again, it was all Luna ever knew. 

A life devoid of light means all sense of sight becomes irrelevant. Moving through time and space is disorienting and you rely on the rest of your senses to make up for what you lack. The days blend together with no differential between the start and end of a day. The uneasiness of what lies beyond the darkness consumes you. You live and breathe the dark. You cannot escape, but rather only submit to the darkness. 

Luna lay on the street, her back to the cold, hard pavement. Her eyes straight forward, she stared at the stars in the sky, wishing she could be up there instead. Her fingers traced slow circles slowly on the pavement. One..two..three. She breathed in the crisp air, overwhelmed by the looming feeling that someone was watching her. 

“You know in some form we are all made of stardust,” a deep voice said. A figure emerged from the shadows and revealed a tall man, the only thing Luna could truly see were his eyes.

“So I was being watched,” she murmured under her breath. She lived in the shadows, she was used to this. He came closer, laying right next to her. 

“I’ve been watching you,” he said, chuckling. 

“Creeper,” Luna responded, a bit of hesitancy in her voice. 

“No need to be afraid,” he started.

“We live in the dark, we are constantly afraid,” she responded. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking, “Why do you watch the stars every night?”

“Because even in the darkness they shine,” I whispered, focusing my attention back to the sky. It was a deep black, canvased with glittering stars. “What even is your name?” she questioned, remembering this random stranger had never even introduced themselves. 

“Issac,” he huffed out, like it was exhausting to be cordial. 

“Luna,” she said, turning to face him and shaking his hand. His hands were warm, not cold and brittle like hers. His shake was firm and she could hear his breathing become scattered as her hand touched his. 

From that night on, Issac and Luna were inseparable. They got used to each other’s body heat, always being near, the sound of each other’s heartbeats, the feel of each other’s skin. For the first time, Luna didn’t feel lost. 

One night, as the two best friends lay on the street just like they did every night, Issac kept fidgeting. Luna could hear his hands tapping and his legs restlessly moving.

“What’s going on Issac?” she asked softly, trying to get as close as possible to hear his heartbeat. 

“I have to show you something,” he whispered, a type of nervousness she hadn’t noticed in him since the first night they met. Issac stood up, blindly reaching for Luna’s hand and started guiding her towards the right. But Luna was not scared. She felt safe with Issac. She trusted him. She knew that wherever he was taking her, it would be okay. He was her compass. After what seemed like a forty minute walk, Issac stopped and turned around. 

“It’s going to be scary at first, but then it will be brilliant,” he said, his hands starting to shake. 

“What is making you so scared? What’s going on Issac?” Luna questioned, starting to feel the unease of fear crawl back up her throat. 

“Just look,” he whispered, guiding her into some kind of cave. Luna trailed her fingers along the cool, curved walls. She felt the ridges and bumps of markings left by people who must’ve been there before. And then, she saw it. A light—bright, not like the distant stars in the sky. No, this was radiant, a foreign brightness she couldn’t understand, and it overwhelmed her senses. She pressed her hands over her eyes.

“Issac…I….I can’t,” she muttered letting go of his hand for the first time in a very long time. 

“Luna, just look, it is okay,” he said softly, comforting her with a gentle squeeze. Luna slowly uncovered her eyes and looked at the light. Luna hesitated, but then slowly uncovered her eyes and looked again. This time, it wasn’t as scary. It was... refreshing. A warm sensation rushed through her veins as she inched closer to the glowing crystal. The light felt alive, certain. It filled the cave with warmth, unlike the cold void she had known for so long. She looked at the walls, now illuminated, their textures and shapes clear for the first time. She looked up at Issac and gasped.

“I can see you,” she whispered, her jaw still drooping. 

“I know,” he said, smiling with a grin that made her heart stop. 

“I…I can see the walls, it's like a lighter darkness. It’s not. You’re not shadows anymore. I can see Issac,” her voice wavered as her heart raced in disbelief.  

Luna’s world was now alive with depth—colors, textures, sights she had never experienced before. The brilliance of the cave, the way the light turned ordinary things into extraordinary marvels, made her feel small but not in a bad way. She felt awestruck by the world that had always been hidden from her.

“What else is out there?” she whispered, turning to Issac. 

She looked at him, hoping that somehow, she could trust him with this new sense of wonder, this overwhelming feeling of possibility that swirled in her chest. It was the first time she felt the weight of the darkness lift, if only just a little. The world was no longer cold and empty. It was alive.