If only I knew

The night is a guarantee. Whether it be one step, or a few steps away. The night is always coming, and with it, the darkness.

I remember when it used to be just the kids who were afraid of the dark. Of the terrors they imagined lived within. I miss that. The naivety, the ignorance  in which we played off the fear and visions  as nothing more than imagination. I remember I used to tell my boy that there were no monsters, whether they be under the bed or in the closet. That it was all ok. Just close your eyes, sleep. If I knew then what we all know now, well, I would tell him do not close your eyes, do not sleep, but run, and run until the sunlight breaks over the horizon and another day is here. Another few hours of safety. A safe place from the terrors of the night. I would tell him that the shadow you see in the corner of your eye, is not just a shadow. That the sound outside is not just the wind.  That the scratching on the window is not just a branch. Run, just please run and don't look back. But then. I would love to tell my boy anything now. The slightest word. 

If only I knew then what we all know now.