A Dark Room — But Darker My Imagination

I felt trapped — trapped in a dark room.

Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash

Looking around in a dark room, I found myself surrounded by dancing shadows. Covering the walls and ceiling they were everywhere. I could feel their presence and their cold sticky fingers reaching at me in the dark, wanting to grab me, to suffocate me, to torture me!

Holding my breath I watched in horror, as my room transformed into one of my biggest nightmares, making my neck hair stand up in fright, covering my body with a thousand goosebumps.

Keeping my eyes wide open, trying not to blink, in fear of being attacked if I dare close my eyes even for just a split second, I was terrified and trembling, hiding under my bedsheet covers, praying for light, praying that this horrible night will be over soon. But every second that passed felt like a lifetime, and every minute felt like an eternity.

Dong, dong, dong — I could hear the big old clock in our hallway striking midnight, I could hear my heart beating — thumb-thumb-thumb, I could hear my heavy breathing, my gasping for air.

My imagination had gotten the better of me and even though I tried to tell myself that this was all just in my head I couldn’t get rid of that sickening fear that had spread like poison through my entire body.

I wanted to move, to run, to escape this dark room, this terrible nightmare that my imagination had imprisoned me in, but I couldn’t. I was paralyzed, poisoned, glued to my bed, stuck with myself and my — oh so powerful mind.

All night I was lying awake in fear, not sleeping, not daring to close my eyes.

Yes, the room was dark, but my imagination was darker.

-Selina