I quickened my pace as I drew closer to the parks edge. With every step my heart threatening to beat right out of my chest and my breath wasn’t coming easily.

I had only ever been through the park in the daytime, where nothing could hide from the suns warm rays and everything was glorious and definite. Tonight I was a stranger to the park, surrounded by untrustworthy darkness and the unknown lurking around unseen, striking fear within the hearts of the small and innocent.

There were noises that made the hairs on my neck stand tall and sent shivers up my spine. They were only faint but I could still hear them, trying to convince me, trying to lure me into the unknown. I wish I had somebody with me to convince me that I was letting my imagination run wild and there was nobody there but I knew that the noises were not just in my head, they were real.

As I finally escaped the park and reached the road my whole body relaxed and the noises switched off in an instant. A sigh of relief past my lips and I was able to breathe without restriction. I was never going to walk through the park at night again; only through the day when there was nothing unseen and certain things remained unheard.  

I walked the remaining block between the park and my home in a hurry and I was thankful for the street lights that lit my path. When I opened my apartment door warm yellow light greeted me and the sound of the television made me smile.

“Teo! Is that you?” Tara called.

“Of course! Who else would it be?” I replied as I entered the living room. “I can smell take-away.” I noted and spotted Tara sitting on the couch with a box of Chinese takeout. Tara had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. There wasn’t anything that she didn’t know about me and nothing I didn’t know about her.

“There’s some in the microwave for you.” She told me, her bright red curls bouncing about as she inclined her head towards the kitchen. My stomach growled hungrily as I headed towards my meal. “How come you’re so late?”