ABSTRACT
Though I have railed against the dark, I can tell you that there is also dread in the light. After all I have described, you might think that the dark brings no appeal. But there is lustrous beauty in the night, and darkness can provide such a fine hiding place. In solitude, precious illusions can be tended, preserved in the shadows where imagination is free to take hold. The dark can offer invisibility, and the freedom to travel without encumbrance. Night can be a cozy place where security can be found in known landmarks, in perils that can be avoided by standing still. But it can be lonely. Darkness conceals and sequesters. Over time, our secrets become fortified, calcified artifacts that cultivate shame and fear.
