Day and Night

The smell of cooked meat mixed with herbs and spices polluted the air around me. The scent was so strong you could taste it. It made my mouth water. I couldn’t wait to eat it. The sound of my grandma ordering the cooks around could hardly be heard over the shouts of my cousins running through the massive house, causing chaos. Out in the courtyard, the sun rays danced across the floor and the wind whistled, blowing leaves from the small forest into the house. I was sitting by the pond, under the large ancient tree that had been there before my dad was born. I loved sitting under the tree. It gave me protection from the harsh, blinding sun light. I would watch the ripples travel across the pond when a leaf would fly down, spiralling like a ballet. Here was probably the most peaceful and beautiful spot in the area. The golden exotic plants growing across the pond made the spot look more stunning. I would’ve sat there the entire day. My dad and his father, were sitting together on the patio reading the same newspaper. After they read an article they would spend a good five to ten minutes discussing it. Sometimes they would break out in a debate, which was always entertaining to watch. Suddenly the sound of pots and pans clattering together, echoed out of the house. Then in a split second one of my cousins came bolting out of the house, followed by his mother. He must have knocked over a bunch of pans and now was in a lot of trouble with his mum. They ran into the next building. Unlike my uncles, who were charged with excitement, I wasn’t bothered to follow. I just laid under my tree, next to the pond, sniffing in the lovely smell of the food, in tranquillity.

The sound of the dogs roar, made me jump from sleep. It was pitch black in the room. I couldn’t see anything. It was petrifying. The darkness engulfed my mind and tried to tempt my fears into revealing themselves. I tossed and turned, hoping my mind would ignore the whispers of the dark. I desperately wanted to fall back asleep and escape this nightmare, but all kinds of noises intoxicated the atmosphere around me. That made it worse. I lay there covered in my thin blanket, desperate to fall asleep. I forced my eyes closed and tried to keep out the dark and my fears, but they were already lurking in the dark shadows of my mind. Moments later, a sudden realisation came to me. I had to go to the toilet. My eyes had widened. My heart started to beat frantically. The monsters of my mind had been released and seized control of the room. I instantly covered myself with my blanket. All I could hear was the monsters, laughing and mocking me. The toilet was across the courtyard, in the other building.