Lights Out

It was a mild autumn night in the suburbs of London, one of those nights when it begins to start getting dark early in the evening. I had just finished a late shift at the restaurant and had just missed the K4 bus which stopped right at the top of my road, which then led me to catch the next best option, which stopped a decent walk from my estate. 

I remember getting off the bus to begin the hike home. As I walked along the north side of my area, I remember the street being illuminated by the streetlamps and not even really taking too much notice of the benefits of their lighting. As I walked further down this main road I noticed the alleyway, which I was aware was a cut through to a park that I knew was a shortcut to my estate. As I began to approach the alley, I began to notice that the lighting began to dim, and the further I got down this alley the darkness began to surround me to the point that I was fully submerged in darkness. By this point I was in the middle of the park, and for a slight few seconds I was in complete darkness and my sight was nil. It took a further few seconds and I began to notice my sight adjusting to the darkness, and I could slightly see in the darkness.

At this point I noticed my other senses beginning to heighten, my hearing and scent. The further I walked into this park, that at the time felt like it was never ending, it became darker and more tranquil and all I could hear was the sound of the crickets in the night. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a slight thought of fear that had crossed my mind.

Suddenly I was adorned by the sudden brightness from the thundering passing train, and for a few seconds I was flooded with light. I remember at the time looking up and noticing the night sky and how many stars there were out there. I thought about how beautiful it was.