Master of darkness

The master of darkness

There once was a boy named Harold. He was so scared of the dark that he always carried a torch. One night as he was on his way home through the forest the batteries went flat, and there was nothing but darkness around him. Harold sat down and shouted in despair: "I'll do anything to have light in my torch."

He then heard a voice saying: "Any thing?" Harold turned towards the voice but couldn't see anybody. "Yes," Harold said. "Anything, because I'm so terribly scared of the dark."

"I can give you light in your torch," the voice said. "But then you must do something for me in return." "That's all right with me," Harold said, "just hurry up." The voice became darker. "You must collect all the light that exists and give it to me," it said. "Yes, yes," Harold said. "Just give me light in my torch." "That's a deal then," the voice said, and there was light in Harold's torch.

Harold ran home and went to bed. That night he dreamt that everything was dark and sad in the world. It was a terrible dream, but things weren't any brighter when the dark voice woke him up. "You remember our deal, don't you Harold?" "What deal?" Harold said rubbing his eyes. "The deal you made with me in the woods last night. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Harold remembered the deal and turned towards the voice. "But I can't see you. How am I to keep a deal with someone I can't see?"

"You promised to collect all the light there is in the world and give it to me." Harold felt an invisible hand pulling his earlobe. "But, but how shall I go about that?" Harold squeaked and tried to pull loose. "You just point the torch towards the light sources and push the button," the voice said and released him.

Harold turned the light on in his room and got dressed. He took the torch from his table and directed it towards the lamp. Carefully he pushed the button and saw how all the light in his room was sucked into his torch until it was completely dark. Harold went shivering out of his house and pointed the torch towards the sun that had just risen over the horizon. Just as easily as the light in his room had vanished, all the light from the sun was sucked into the torch until it was as dark as the middle of night.

When Harold saw what he had done, he held his torch out and shouted: "Isn't that enough? Can't you come and take the torch with all the light in it?" "No," the voice said. "You must take the light from the cars and the streets and the buildings and homes. All light has to be gone before I can step forward."

Harold did as the voice commanded until it was darker in the city than it had been out in the woods. "Now then, it must be dark enough for you," he said and wept. "Yes," the voice said. "This is just how I want it." Harold felt his torch being taken from his hand. Afterwards he heard mocking laughter in the distance.

Soon Harold heard people fumbling about in the dark. Many were moaning and some were swearing. But in the midst of all the noise he heard an old man say: "The Master of the Dark must be behind this."

Harold stood up and said: "No, it is I who have done it, with my torch." Harold felt a kind arm around his shoulders. "So it is you he has used to steal the light." "Yes," Harold said. "He forced me to do it, and now I regret what I have been done." "Don't be sad," the old man said. "The Master of darkness has fooled you, but now we will fool him. Soon the moon will rise, and he has probably forgotten that. Let's make a bonfire and lure him towards us."

The old man lit a match to see, and they collected sticks to make a fine little bonfire that lit the area around them. To tease the Master of darkness even further they danced around the fire singing songs about light and happiness, even though they were sad and sorry in the darkness.

The Master of darkness came tip-toeing towards them covered in a black overcoat. He pointed the torch towards the fire and was about to suck all the light away when the moon rose up over the hill behind him. They heard a shout from the Master of darkness when the light shone on him. He lost the torch and twisted like a worm trying to cover himself from the light. Harold picked up the torch.

"All the light is in here," Harold said to the old man. "Maybe I can let it out again by pushing the button the other way." Harold directed the torch towards the sky and pushed the button so that all the starlight came back on the sky. "Hooray," the old man shouted and jumped for joy. "You did it!" Harold sent the light back to the street lamps, into the houses, to the cars and finally he sent the intense sunlight back up in the sky.

The Master of darkness was in great pain under his overcoat. "I'll do anything to get away from the light," he begged. "Any thing?" Harold said and remembered when he gave such a big promise. "Yes anything, because I'm so terribly afraid of the light," the Master darkness said. "I'll bring you to a dark place," Harold said. "But first you must promise never to attempt to take the light away again - is that a deal?" "It is a deal," the Master of darkness squeaked.

Harold said goodbye to the old man and brought the Master of darkness back to his own cellar. And there, in the darkest corner, he is still sitting.