Getting Used to the Dark

Getting Used to the Dark

Read aloud version

Well, that makes five games of checkers, Grandma said. Two times I won, and three times you beat me.Elsie nodded, grinning. And its just the first night! she said.Oh, Ill get better, Grandma said. Its been so many years since I played checkers, Im out of practice. By the end of the week, youd better watch out.Elsie picked up another gingersnap and munched on it. Things here were so much different than at home. Here at Grandmas, she could stay up late into the summer night. At home, Mama always made her go to bed at the same time as her little brothers. Why dont you have a radio? Elsie asked. We listen to the radio at home after dinner. There are funny shows.Ill get a radio, someday, Grandma said. But isnt it nice to listen to the night noises?

Elsie listened for a moment. There was the sound of crickets, and the hiss of the lantern. There were no cars going by on Grandmas dirt road. There were no dogs barking, no noisy neighbors. Lets make some hot cocoa and popcorn, Grandma said. Elsie, would you go and get some water from the pump? Ill get started with some popcorn. At Elsies house, the water came out of a faucet in the sink. But Grandma didnt have running water yet. Even though the year was 1946, Grandma still went outside every day to pump water into a bucket.Elsie? Grandma asked. Do you want hot cocoa?Sure, Grandma, Elsie said. She stood up slowly. Wheres the bucket?

Grandma handed her a tin pail. Here you go.Elsie walked over to the porch. To get to the pump, she would need to go across the porch, down three steps and across a short walkway. In the daytime, she didnt think twice about pumping a bucket of water for Grandma. She liked lifting the handle and watching the cool water flood out.The night was a different story. Elsie wished that she could take the lantern outside with her. But the lantern was far too heavy. She could never carry the lantern and the bucket filled with water.Before Elsie pushed open the door, she looked long and hard at the flickering flame of the lantern. If she looked long enough, she thought, she could carry some of the light with her to the pump.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She took one step into the darkness of the porch. Another step, and another.From a distant tree, an owl hooted. Elsie looked around her, but she could see nothing. Everything was darkness and shadows. Suddenly frightened, she turned around, raced back inside, and shut the door behind her.Elsies heart was pounding. But she didnt want to let Grandma down. This was just her first night of visiting. She didnt want Grandma to think that she was a baby!I can do this, Elsie murmured. She turned and looked at the lantern again, for longer this time. Then, without giving herself a moment to think, she pushed open the door and walked quickly down the steps.

She made it all the way to the pump this time. She still could see nothing but shadows, nothing but the darkness. As she reached for the pump handle, she felt something cool and squishy.Eeek! Elsie squealed. She dropped the bucket and raced back to the house. Across the walk, up the steps, open the door, shut the door.Elsie? Grandma said. Did you get the water? Wheres the bucket?A tear started to trickle down Elsies cheek. She brushed it aside. Oh, Grandma, Im so sorry! I was scared to go outside, so I looked at the lantern, and then I went out, and the owl hooted, and then there was something on the handle of the pump!Grandma smiled. Oh, Elsie. You looked at the lantern before you went outside?Elsie nodded. Its so dark out there!

Come with me, Grandma said. She took Elsie to the door. You cant look at the lantern and take the light with you. Your eyes dont work like that. You need to give yourself time to get used to the dark.Elsie looked into the yard. It still looked dark and shadowy. But then she noticed something. The more she looked, the more she could see. It wasnt the same as seeing the yard in daylight. But it wasnt as scary, either.Will you come with me? Elsie asked.Grandma didnt answer for a moment. Then she said, Elsie, youre going to be here for a week. I think its important for you to be able to go outside by yourself. She added, And its not just the pump that youll need to be able to go to.But theres something on the pump handle!Grandma chuckled. Elsie, I share my yard with plenty of creatures. Im sure this one wont harm you. When you get to the pump, try looking at the creature from the corner of your eye.

The corner of my eye?Trust me, Grandma nodded.Elsie sighed, and then stood up a little straighter. I can do it. She opened up the door again. This time, she didnt hurry or rush. She walked carefully down the steps.As she moved toward the pump, she noticed things she hadnt seen before. The stars twinkled in the sky, brighter here than in town. Fireflies flickered all around the yard. When she reached the pump, she didnt see anything on the handle. Then she tried looking at it from the corner of her eye, just as Grandma had suggested. Oh! she exclaimed. She could just barely make out the shape of a caterpillar. It wasnt scary at all. Here, little one. Let me move you to someplace safe. She gently picked up the caterpillar and moved him to the grass. Then she found the bucket, set it under the spout, and pumped out the water.

When the bucket was full, Elsie picked it up and started back toward the house. She almost didnt want to go back inside. There were other sounds in the yard, sounds that were different from the crickets or the owl. Were they birds? Different bugs? Elsie felt more curious than afraid. Im back! Elsie said, walking in the door. Grandma, I have a question. After we have hot cocoa and popcorn, can we go on a walk in the dark? I want to know more about whats out there!Grandma smiled. Thats something we can definitely do, she said. Elsie, Im glad that youve found out that theres nothing to fear in the nighttime.Elsie was glad, too!

Emily Kissner 2015This story may not be reproduced in any other format.