Light

A small light can be seen in even the darkest of places. It stands out amongst the shadows, and shines for all to see, no matter how miniscule it is. But when placed with other, brighter lights, the faint glow of the small light diminishes under the radiance of the bigger ones…

He stood on the street corner, looking at the scene before him. A thirty-seven car pile up. Fire, gasoline, charred flesh, broken glass. Everything seemed to blend together in a picture of horror and calamity. It was impossible for him to distinguish just what was going on. Emergency crews rushed everywhere, no one noticed that he stood watching, horrified at the scene that he had witnessed. He had been waiting on that street corner before the crash, and he was unable to tear his eyes away from the scene. His legs refused to move and take him away from the ghastly sight. He was transfixed by the damage. The metal was crushed together, making it difficult to tell where one car ended and another began. Every now and then, a limb might protrude from the wreckage, bloody and broken. From the driver window of the upturned eighteen-wheeler her could see the left half of the driver, clearly ripped from the rest of the body, dangling from the shattered window. He fell to his knees as a mangled body was dragged from the wreckage, a small child, no older than ten, judging by the size of the body. The lifeless girl’s hair fell across her face, masking the mutilation. He closed his eyes, finally able to control his body. He tried to forget the picture of limp body, twisted in every direction, but even with his eyes closed, the image made him sick to his stomach. A hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked up. One of the paramedics who had pulled the girl out had noticed him on the ground. He led him into the hospital. Ironic that so much death had happened right next to a place of healing. The paramedic sat him down on the chair, and left to go aid the others once again. A woman noticed him, and wrapped an arm around him, trying to comfort him. He sat there in the bright fluorescent lighting of the hospital. He looked down at the floor, at the bloody footprints that the paramedic had left. The crimson stains seemed to absorb the light, and created darkness that was overwhelming, bringing the images back into his mind. It would be years before he would be able to walk into a hospital without becoming sick to his stomach.

…Sometimes, even in the brightest of places, darkness dwells. And though the lights, be they bright or dim, shine, darkness can dull the light until it becomes nothing more than a backdrop to the shadows.