CREATURES OF THE PAST

Fear of the dark

- "All people are afraid of the dark. Just not everyone is ready to admit it."

- "O, please, you're talking stupid again", she said and tapped his hand on the table. – "Finish your breakfast or you will be afraid of me."

- "But mom..." he tried to protest with a "please" tone.

- "You are not going anywhere until you finish your breakfast", she ordered with a convincing tone.

- "Are you afraid of the dark?", he asked instead and brought back the subject she wanted to avoid.

Helen turned around to look into his ten years old eyes. Her son lately had some strange ideas and questions that made her skin crawl. She didn't want to give him any more material for boosting up his imagination than he already has (God knows from where), so she strongly denied that she's afraid of the dark like any adult would do.

- "I think you should be", he concluded unsatisfied with her answer and looked at her all worried.

She gave up and asked "Why?" although she did decide she will not have this conversation.

Damian puts the spoon on the table besides his bowl of cereals with chocolate chips, his favorite, and looks his mother straight into her blue eyes.

- "Who are the only ones who are admitting their fear of the dark?", he asked instead of an answer.

She felt like her kid is giving her a lecture and that felt strange. Does she has to answer, or this is a hypothetic question? A ten-years-old confused her, and this happened often in last few weeks.

Too often for her taste.

The boy saw that his mother does not know the answer so he told her.

- "Children."

Helen didn't react, so he continued as he saw that he has gained her attention.

- "And children are the only ones that are not corrupted, they are not taught to be afraid, their sixth sense is still intact. Therefore, if the ones that have the biggest insight are afraid, then there sure must be something to be afraid of. Don't you think?"

She was listening and was so surprised with his logic that she couldn't find any holes in it. Amazing for such a small boy to think like that.

Moreover, scary.

- "So, you want to say that you're afraid of the dark?", she concluded with a smile to end this peculiar atmosphere in her kitchen on a Sunday morning.

He smiled back with an experience of an eighty-year-old man in his eyes.

- "Like I'm afraid of a fire and stepping in front of a train. Yes."

It was strange he compared darkness with direct threats like fire and train. Like there is no doubt, the dark can harm you. Helen felt the chills on her skin again. She has to end this conversation, now.

- "Eat your breakfast, Damian. Later you can tell me who is stuffing you with these creepy stories."

- "Fear is good mom", he yield while she was leaving.

- "Fear keeps us alive", he added but wasn't sure if she heard him.

She did.

Helen locked herself into bathroom and covered her face with wet palms full of tap water. She just couldn't stand his stories anymore. They were so... eerie. And creepy. And inappropriate for his age.