People said you couldn’t hear silence. Couldn’t see darkness. But the silence was loud, and the dark was all I could see.

I burrowed my head in my hands, waiting for something. Sound. Light. Life at all.

But nothing came. Three days before light was identified as extinct. The world had been running out of light for years. Each day it had been seen less and less. But at least once a month, someone would be able to light a fire, steal light from the kingdoms vault, or find light in the depths of the mines, inside rubies, diamonds, and gold.

But for three days, the kingdoms vault had been entirely empty. The mines had no more diamonds or rubies or gold. There was no fire.

For three days, light had been non-existent.

Almost daily there was fighting. War. Every time light was found, people fought, gave anything in possession to gain light. It was 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦. But in that moment there was no fighting. No yelling, no gunfire, no explosions.

At some point in time, I begin to think everyone was dead. Maybe they died along with the light.

But why would I still be alive?

I began to sink deeper into the earth, feeling like there was nothing left. Nothing else to live for.

That’s when I saw it. I had to strain my eyes looking, but if I looked away, I feared it would disappear. 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

It wasn’t fire, gems, or the electric light from the kingdoms vault. It was light like I had never seen.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I ran towards it. I stumbled over crumbled brick and stone, and piles of dirt and ash.

“Wait!” I yelled, as it began to move away. That is when I realized. It wasn’t a 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. It was a 𝘸𝘩𝘰. Light flowed from their hands, seeping into the dirt, wind, and sky.

“Who are you?” I asked the boy, finally close enough to see him in depth. He smiled as he held out a hand. “Hello. I am the Sun.”