A Little at A Time

Chapter 1
The Nightlight

It started with being afraid of the dark.

Well, at first I wasn’t really afraid – just uneasy. My wife (Jessica) and I would go to bed and turn out the lights and I’d start feeling sick to my stomach. I didn’t sleep well for a few nights – thinking I could hear things moving in the dark. Then, it started to get worse. I was sure I could hear something moving – something scary. No matter how much I tried to tell myself it was childish and ridiculous, I was getting really upset. About a week after it started, I just couldn’t sleep at all. My heart was racing. I was sweating like crazy. My mind wouldn’t stop.

On my way home from work I picked up a nightlight. I told Jessica that I had stubbed my toe going to the bathroom at night and wanted to be able to see better. Thankfully, she accepted that explanation.

I can’t tell you how good it felt to turn the nightlight on that night. I felt warm all over. I started hugging myself, feeling really safe. I told myself that was crazy and I was never in any danger in the first place. But that was how I felt with the light on. Happy and safe.