It's Dark Outside Now
It’s dark outside now.As every evening, I wonder vaguely where the light came from, and why it lasted as long as it lasted.
As every evening, I have no answer for that.
The sky is always the same shade of black. The kind of black that looks warm to the touch, the kind of black that seems close, almost like a soft pillow that envelops the Neverhood in a loving embrace.
I’ve asked Hoborg about this. I’ve asked Hoborg about many things. And as with many questions I have given, I did not receive an answer that would satisfy me.
I asked: “The Hall of Records says that you chose this place because the Neverhood would be surrounded by beautiful clouds.”
He shrugs. And I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t know, or because he doesn’t want to tell me.
Not trustable, eh?
No one else knows either. Or no one else will tell either. Well…
Personally I like the way in which the sky remains always the same, but the shade of light changes. In the morning, it’s bright. At noon it’s powerful. In the afternoon it’s caressing. In the evening its colour changes to orange and purple and blue, and as the brightness fades, some warmth leaves too. I can’t tell the difference between day and night when I’m sitting in my room. It’s happened numerous times that I came out and I was surprised at the time it was.
But as I gaze outside…
The light has already faded from blue to navy blue and then silvery. In the night, it’s very dark on the Neverhood. Nothing shines from the sky on us, and so everyone is asleep at night.
I can see in the dark. For me, the night is black silvery velvet. It’s quiet in the night, which is the way I prefer it. If you pass through the Hood at night, sometimes you can hear snoring. If you look hard enough, you’ll discover a Hoodian sleeping in a corner, on a rooftop or in a house. But most of their snoring is quiet, and the night remains to me.
I look over the stony slopes of the Arena, watching the familiar landscape. Will he come? Did he forget? Either way, I’ll remain waiting, watching the night outside.
After some time I get up and pass through the door. It closes behind me, soundlessly. The door can’t be seen from the outside by anyone but me. It’s not magic, mind you. It’s just that nobody bothers to look for the little signs that betray the location of a secret lever…
I break away from marvelling at the door which protects my greatest secrets. I walk out into the Arena. I breathe in, deeply. I can smell rocks and stones and a faint smell of explosives. When I walk closer to the hidden fountain, I can also smell water. If I walked to the mulberry tree, I would probably smell mulberries and that would make me sneeze, which I don’t want to, so I won’t go there.
The crab symbol is black against the rock. I walk to it. I try to keep my steps as quiet as possible. It can’t be done well, with the big sturdy boots I wear, but it can’t keep me from trying. I reach the symbol and I reach out my hand.
Nothing.
That means there’s no danger nearby.
I walk over to the red wall car. It sits silently at the end of its track, ready to be used.
But I won’t use it. It would disturb the silence. I only climb into it, flinching at the creaks it makes, and I settle down in its large, comfortable leather chair. When I stop moving, the silence is restored.
I’m reclining back, watching the rock in front of me. I turn my head to the side and I stare off into the black nothingness.
I can’t hear a thing.
I don’t think he’s coming.
I suppress the urge to cry.
Well… at least I’ve got the night. The night who demands silence and gives reflection in return. The night who enforces darkness and makes me see better in turn. The night who makes a thousand promises and leaves me trembling with desire in return.
I love the night. But I hope that he comes.
Too many quiet nights are lonely.
