It's not that dark...

The night was long, dark and desolate. The wind was blowing hard. Somber clouds concealed the moon and the stars. Eerie sounds filled the air.

In a small nipa hut in a remote barrio, a young lad sat alone and afraid. He looked nervously at his flickering candle. It was the last candle he had. It couldn’t possibly last through the night. Just the thought of being all alone in the darkness made him shiver.

If only he wasn’t alone, things wouldn’t be as bad. Yes, if only… but there were happy times. But the more he thought about it, the more it made him long for company.

So he thought about the tough times he went through. Times filled with problems big and small which he thought would never end. For him it was amazing that somehow he managed to make it through. He was far from being religious but he had faith in God.

The young lad then approached the bamboo window of his hut and looked outside. The moon had managed to escape from the clouds. But its light was still faint and helpless against the blanket of darkness. There wasn’t much he could see. The wind was still blowing hard. From afar, he could still hear strange sounds.

He closed the bamboo window to keep out the wind. Then, he went back to where the flickering candle stood and took a look at it. It could probably last for another hour but it didn’t really matter. He knew deep inside that he’d be fine even without it. There was really nothing to be afraid of.

Then the young lad smiled to himself. Yes, the night maybe long, dark and desolate but it doesn’t last forever.