Fear of Darkness

“Arrgh!” Daniel ran down the hall with his sword in the air. “I am king of this castle and no foe can enter!”

Distracted by imaginary ogres, Daniel bumped into the hallway wall. He dropped his favourite ball then it rolled down the basement stairs.

Daniel panicked as he was scared of the dark and especially scared of the basement.

Thump... thump... thump... went the ball, as though to say “You can't catch me now and it's all your fault.”

Daniel stood at the top of the stairs to the dark basement and tried to form a plan. But there was no plan to form. There was only descent into the dark abyss to look for his ball.

“Mom, can you go get my ball?” Daniel asked, pointing to the basement.

“A knight is supposed to be brave,” said Daniel's mother.

“I'm a king.”

“Then you're braver. Here's a flashlight, and bring your sword.”

Disappointed but accepting kings are brave, Daniel faced the top of the basement stairs again. He went down one step, started trembling with fright, and turned on the flashlight.

Step by step Daniel descended into the dark abyss.

“Here be dragons!” He spoke into the darkness. “I've come to get my ball!”

Daniel scanned the floor with the flashlight but couldn't find the ball. Where had it rolled to? Was it under something? Shuddering, Daniel stepped onto the basement floor and shone the beam into the room. There, holding his ball, was a little dragon with spectacles.

“Mom?” Daniel called in a quivering voice.

“Kings should be brave,” the dragon said.

“Did you get it?” Daniel's mother called down.

“Yes,” called the dragon in Daniel's quivering voice.

Author's Note ▼

Written for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"   by Arakun the Twisted Raccoon , winner on 29 July 2020.

292 words