Finding the light

By: Keziah Jeren Domopoy

I wiped my cheeks as I felt a sweat coming down from my face. The room was filled with my
heavy breathing and the loud noise coming from the keyboard as I typed aggressively on my old
computer. I bit my lip and let out a sigh as I finished writing my one-thousand-word essay, but just as I
was about to save my work, in a blink of an eye, darkness conquered the room – the power interruption.

I was stunned. I sat there, still trying to process that I wasn’t able to save my project and won’t be
able to pass it on time. I screamed out of frustration as I furiously tried to find my phone and use it as a
flashlight to escape my room.

As I walked outside, I could clearly hear the echoes of my footsteps. The silence of the night
embraced me. This house has always been lonely ever since my father died and when mother decided to
work overseas to provide for my daily needs. And on times like this, I have no one to rely but myself.

Frightened of the dark, I gathered myself and searched for a candle. Thankfully I found a used
one, but will this be enough to provide me light until the power comes back? I shrugged my shoulder, I
should hurry up and finish my work before the fire burn both ends of the candle.

Hurriedly, I looked for a piece of paper, forcing my brain to remember everything that I wrote
earlier. Hoping to be able to continue my work despite the absence of light, I tightly held the pen, as it
never touched the paper; I couldn’t recall anything.

I stood up and grabbed my phone wishing it could be some help, but it seems like luck wasn’t on
my side, my phone’s battery is dead. As I was about to put my phone on the table, my body froze, as the
warm light coming from the candle has disappeared.

At that moment, I felt the tiniest amount of hope left in my body has completely vanished. Not
being able to see anything, my body dropped as the cold concrete floor touched my skin. I hugged myself
and closed my eyes. Scared by the dark and the fact that I have no one by my side, except the melancholic
feeling that has accompanied me in this house for years. My body started to shake out of fear as tears
started to stream down my face not until I heard people laughing outside. I slowly opened my eyes, tried
my best to stand up and opened the door, and there I was stunned to see how bright the world outside was.

With all the darkness inside my home, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Millions of star
shone, as the moon brightly shines all over. I laid down the grass, still in disbelief of how breathtaking the
night was. I smiled as the sparkly stars reflected in my eyes. “If only I was brave enough to find the light
in the darkness.” I whispered to myself. Sometimes, there are also things in our life that doesn’t shine on
its own, just like how the brightest stars shine in the darkest skies.