fear talk . . .

"Jonah and Jacob lay in their beds, thinking.
"Jacob," asked Jonah across the dimness, " are you ever afraid
of the dark?"
"The darkness illuminates our fears," said Jacob.
"How can the darkness be a light?"
"It shows you your fears," said Jacob.
"Then it is a trap!" stated Jonah, sitting up in his bed.
"We are the trap," said Jacob.
"How is that?" asked the boy.
"All of us have caught ourselves being afraid," said Jacob.
"All of us, at some point, have taken our fears to bed
with us."
"But, Jacob, even you?"
"All of us take our fears to bed with us," said Jacob.
"Especially when we grow up."
"Then how do grown-ups ever fall asleep?"
"By remembering," said Jacob, closing his eyes, "that
even our fears need their rest."
Noah benShea