* Topic: Write an essay about fear.
1st rough draft- 20 minutes
Thunk, thunk.
The absence of light is something you cannot fight.
No option exists of flight; you do not know which way is right. Even the
darkness of night is not darkness quite, the lining of the fabric not at all
tight. Your eyes project white, yearning for once again bright.
Thunk, thunk.
Every step is a miracle. You cannot see; your eyes
are open but you cannot see. Your eyes protest, blinking furiously and shedding
tears, they long to be of use to you. But they cannot help you. They apologize
for being able to do nothing but give you a picture of black. You don’t know
which way to turn. Your eyes cannot help you. You turn your head from side to
side, trying to make sense of this world. If it is a world. To you, it looks
like nothingness. Blackness destroys your sense of orientation, but it also
separates you from the rest of the world. You do not see other people, you do
not see any other things. You are completely, and totally, alone.
Thunk, thunk.
That’s the only sound you hear. You tap the ground
once again with your cane, thunk thunk. That’s the only sound that tells you
you’re still alive. That’s the only sound that tells you you’re still on the
ground. Thunk, thunk. You begin to concentrate on the smallest details of the
sound. You sense the motion of that sound. You feel the cane’s slight shiver as
it comes into contact with the ground; your hand also vibrates and you feel a
tingle up your arms.
Thunk, thunk.
Yes, there is ground in front of you. You can walk.
You can take a step. Trust your cane. You raise your right foot, toes first,
and you feel it. Your toes skim the cold concrete floor just so, just on the
surface so that you will not fall even if there’s nothing there. It’s still
your left leg that holds you upright; you cannot risk leaning on your right leg
in case there is nothing there. In your head, you know the ground is there.
Thunk, thunk—the cane told you. But when you’re alone, you lose trust. Even in
yourself, you lose trust. Trust makes you unafraid, trust makes you sure of
yourself. In total darkness, in complete solitutde, you lose trust.
Pat, squeak.
The rubber soles of your tennis shoes gleefully
squeaks as it makes contact with the ground. The ground is hard, solid, and
stable. You will not fall. You shift your weight to your right leg. You plant
it firmly on the ground, easing on your left leg. One step. Complete.
Pat, squeak.
Pat, squeak, pat, squeak.
Thunk, thunk.
Thunk, thunk.
Slowly you let the darkness envelop you. You fall
gently into the soft velvety fabric of pitch black, letting it caress you and
cover every part of your body. Several steps. Hardest steps. Slowly you see
that the world is not pitch black. You see colors, again. You see the red of
the fear you went through, you see the purple of the sound your shoe makes. You
see the gray stubs of concrete, even the small brittles on its surface. Your
eyes cannot see, but your senses can see.
Light is not bright; darkness is true sight.
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