Day & Night

• Rebecca Jacobson, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2018

There once was a little girl, afraid of the darkness that came with the night. So as day faded, she hid herself away within the walls of her little house, where the lights would shine so no darkness could lurk. Only once she had fallen asleep at night did the lights turn off, but beside her bed, a little night light shone. Across the road a little boy lived, who always saw the little girl run inside, away from the setting sun. He liked the night, the day and the in-betweens of each where the world was a mix of both. One day, when the sun was bright, he wandered across the street to her house, where she stood out on the front lawn, dancing in the sunlight. As she danced, she dodged the shade, spinning in endless loops. Her bright yellow dress flared at the edges, and when the little boy looked at her, he saw something so beautiful. She stopped as she saw him, smiling at his messy brown hair and soft chubby cheeks. Together they danced, round and round in the sunlight, laughing and talking, until the sunlight began to fade. She stopped abruptly, noticing the shadow now cast over her skin. He paused, looking at her curiously, before she disappeared back inside the house. From outside the house, the little boy saw the lights turn on before he turned and wandered back to his house across the street. For days the pair danced, laughed, talked and adventured, all the while the little girl remained in the sunlight as the little boy ventured into the shadows for her. One day when the little boy woke, rain was playing its constant melody on the widow of his room. He glanced outside, seeing the illuminated house of the little girls, and in the window of her bedroom he saw her standing there, looking back at him. The sky grew darker every hour, as the rain continued on, making water rush along the street. With a heavy and threatening crack, lighting struck down, signalling the start of the storm. The lights within the little boy’s house went out, and as he glanced out the window, he saw the little girl’s house in darkness. In a rush, the little boy jumped into his wellies and raincoat, running across the watery street to the little girls’ house. His knocks received no answer, and so slowly he pried open the door, stepping into her house. He found her curled up in a ball under a table, and so underneath it he climbed. He held her hand in his as the storm raged on, and the little boy told the little girl how beautiful the darkness was, and how there was nothing to fear. He made her feel brave and when the next storm came, she was not afraid of the darkness, and just sometimes, she stayed outside and danced in the fading light with the little boy just a little longer.