What are children scared of? Monsters under the bed. Being away from their parents for too long. Burglars sneaking into their home. The Dark. Especially the Dark, for it holds a million unseen mysteries, creeps and crawls until it surrounds you at night as you lay in your warm bed. Some say the fear of the Dark is merely a fear of the unknown, of not knowing what's out there and the threat that poses to oneself. Call it however you desire; the fear will not disappear. This particular brand of terror is well-known and widespread, affecting people across the world mercilessly. It doesn't stop at children either, adults still freeze and hold their breath when the lights go off. It is almost a natural response; we have been conditioned through the centuries to  be mistrustful of this sneaky foe.

But have you ever considered that maybe the Dark is afraid of you? You're an intruder in its midst. An alien body moving within it. An uncontrollable force, solid and tangible and with a will of its own. Something so powerful it is not conditioned by the journey of the sun and the stars and the moon, that can exist no matter the hour of day. Something permanent in a way the Dark has never been. Something that can't be driven away so easily, that can't be moved unless it wants to move. For the Dark, who is chased away at sunrise every morning, that is a foreign concept.

So the Dark plays with what advantages it's got. It envelops you in itself, hugs you tight and doesn't let go. It takes advantage of your weaknesses; your poor eyesight, your irrational fear, the inevitable way your body and mind become more vulnerable in the late hours of the night. You find yourself forced to play its game on its terms when you're out of your element. The Dark may be afraid but it is old, and it has learned how to defend itself. It is wise.

The Dark remembers. That first night, what might have been millennia ago, when you first started to fight back. A spark. A sudden brightness in the night. Something unheard of. And then the light grew, and continued to grow until it roared with contained power. Hungry flames licked the cool air and the Dark was forced to hide for the first time. It was the beginning of a long battle, but the Dark didn't know it then; it was much younger, innocent, and overconfident. That was the first time it was challenged. By you, by your kind who lit a fire in rebellion. By your kind who -as the Dark was soon to learn- would not submit, would not give up, would not play by nature's rules. The Dark remembers; the first time it felt fear as it watched those flames leap.

Things have changed, and for the Dark nothing has gotten better. You have evolved, and now it is easier than ever to make it disappear. A flick of your hand on a switch and it's gone. This age of artificial light is not a good one, and the Dark is often driven away and forced to crawl along the sidelines, to hide in its own kingdom. Although it continues to fight, it is fearful. It has existed for longer than you ever will, and yet your power is immense, and the Dark has learned to be afraid.

So why, then, are you afraid of the Dark?