“The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors” – Melissandra – Game of Thrones
A heinous man, not four feet tall, approaches the car. His long pointed noise, crooked and bent, sniffs the cool night air like a hungry wolf. Greasy long blond hair lies in knotted strands down his hunched back. Black beady eyes peer through the open window and settle menacingly on my sleeping pale flesh. Suddenly he thrusts his hand through the open car window and grabs me: I wake with a start. I scream but no sound emerges from my mouth. I shout for Captain but no sound emerges from my mouth. Even my fast heaving breath makes not a ripple in the still night air. There is nothing but silence…..
I’ve been meaning to write this blog entry right from the start of our journey but have been putting it off; too scared of the traumas that I might unleash….
I always knew before we left for this trip that I would fear the night times. I have not only a vivid imagination but also a rather dark side so the night has always unleashed in me a sense of terror and foreboding. I was one of those children who checked for the boogie man under my bed every night but, I was also, and indeed still am, a keen horror movie fan.
In the depths of the night, out here in the depths of the countryside, there is very little light. Literally pitch black. This means that the only sense you are using, deep in the night, is your hearing. The result of this is that all sounds are exaggerated. You can practically feel your ears straining to pick up any subtle sounds so your brain can make sense of what is around you. The most insignificant sound suddenly takes on a life of its own as it is magnified and echoes around in your ear drums.
A falling pine cone is someone hammering on the roof,
A single raindrop is a torrential torrent of rain,
A far off car is a nearby bomb exploding,
Light from the moon is torchlight beaming into the car,
A warm breeze is an approaching hurricane,
Scurrying mice are herds of marauding bulls,
A creak of the car is a man trying to crowbar his way in.
So with that I shall bid you goodnight and sweet dreams……