This week's prompt is about what an owl would tell their younger self about the midnight.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “midnight” is defined as:
"The middle of the night; twelve o’clock at night."
Or midnight refers to the time when one day ends and the next day begins — 12:00 a.m. on the 24-hour clock.
Since humans are naturally diurnal beings, meaning they stay awake during the day and go to sleep at night, it means there are very few human activity at night. Few or no human voices or sounds, few or no automobile sounds, etc.
Some Reasons Why My Younger Self Was Scared Of The Midnight
The midnight is often associated with a time when there's hightened criminal activity.
Since the number one goal of criminals is to evade capture, the midnight becomes the ideal time for them to perpetuate their evil activities. This can trigger fears of being visited by men of the underworld or kidnappers.
I had this fear in my younger years whenever the midnight came around. I recalled stories of robbers visiting homes and shooting people, sometimes exterminating entire family members after depriving them of their valuables. This fear always made me make sure our doors were well locked before going to sleep.
In folklore and fiction, midnight is the “witching hour” — a time when ghosts, spirits, or witches are believed to appear.
Well this part is for the superstitious ones, some may say. But believe it or not, otherworldly events do happen in this our world. There are certainly more sophisticated beings than ourselves who are continually at work in the human realm though we don't see them except the impact of their actions. Not believing in gravity doesn't mean you will fly to the moon if you take a jump.
What I Would Tell My Younger Self About The Midnight
These are the two major fears that the midnight often triggered in me in my younger years. If I were to tell my younger self about the midnight, I would start by saying that fears, most times, are empty and unsubstantiated.
I would tell my younger self that not being able to enjoy a good sleep at night because of fear of robbers invading your home is simply foolishness. I would tell that version of myself is that in life some things are unavoidable, the only thing you can do is do your best to avoid tragedies. Like in this case, ensure you live in an secure compound and when you going in at night make sure the entrances to your home are securely locked. And try calling the emergency numbers in case of any eventuality. If robbers find their way into your home after all these precautions, then there's nothing to do. The worst is that it happened to you because of your carelessness.
I would tell my younger self that spirits do exists, but they won't step on your toes if you haven't wronged your fellow man. If you're in good terms with the God you serve. I would tell my younger self that evil only comes to those who do evil, especially to others. I would tell my younger self that the supernatural scenes portrayed in movies are not real and there's no need to go about with fear each after seeing a horror movie. I would tell my younger self that it's like screaming and falling prostrate each time firearms are being shot in a movie. It's simply not real.
Maybe my younger self would understand me or maybe not. Maybe he would wait to get to my current age before overcoming these phobias.
Image is mine.
Thanks for reading.