A few days ago, alongside one of my regular walking paths, I noticed a small trail that veered off down a hill and into the bush.

Being curious, I thought I’d see where it led. I got about 100 feet down the trail when the dense bush started to block the morning sun. Things got dark and creepy and my imagination went wild. Were there wild animals in there? Was there someone hiding, just waiting to jump out and rob me or worse? Who would ever find me if I was injured? I quickly made my way back to the main path and, with my heart racing, decided that the little side trail wasn’t worth my anxiety. Because I’m still curious, I’ll definitely check it out on a day when I’m not walking alone.

In childhood, I was always afraid of the dark. I thought that fear was long gone until I started to explore an innocent little path in the woods.

“A child’s fear is a world whose dark corners are quite unknown to grownup people; it has its sky and its abysses, a sky without stars, abysses into which no light can ever penetrate.” ~ Julien Green