Chapter 1: The Theory of Light

The hunger is fresh. A new idea has come to light and it requires testing.

Chapter 1: The theory of light

 

 

The hour was late and the cold embrace of darkness had fallen all around the city. Predators were out doing what had been held back during the waking hours for normal society. The rules that govern our lives draw a fine line around what actions are acceptable during specific hours of the day. The laws that pertain to predatory acitons are restricted to hours after the bright glowing orb falls past the horizon. Only then can the monsters, killers, and disturbed individuals come out to play.

 

So here I am, in my costume, ready to play with anyone who stumbles into my sandbox. I say that quite literallly as I sit on the beach watching the waves crash against the shore.  The night has barley wrapped its fingers around the thin, slender neck of darkness.  The air has a cool smell as the wind blows off the water and races up the shoreline.  The beauty of this dark night presses against the stuborn lights of society behind me.  Just off the beach sits a row of shops; all content to argue with natures atempt to count sheep in dreamland. Warm light floods from each window and door as people roam past looking into each shop only to move slowly to the next. Eventually, one of the tireless sheep will stray from the heard and wonder into my sandbox.  It is only a matter of time before one of them gets bored of looking through the same tiny window at things they do not need. That is nature, nature is waiting.  

 

Waiting is half the fun when hunting such an elusive prey.  It may come as a surprise to others that do not dable in this hobby but human beings are quite adapt at avoidng danger.  As animals, Humans rely on instincts and that part of nature makes these kinds of play sessions difficult.  I have always admired Darwin's idea of natural selection and how it pertains to survival.  Even if you are a god fearing person you can see its relavance in this particular instance.  Natural selection would dictate that any deviation from the normal path could result in the forfiture of ones earthly presence.  By this simple diduction one could make a very good case that being out in the dark of night goes against the instincts that have been instilled in our species from the very beginning.  This leads me to believe that a single phenominon is responsible for the obvious disregard for natural instincs. Light.

 

Tonight I sit on the beach with an umbrella impaled into the sand to my left.  The sun is not out but it helps keep the wind from pelting my skin with sand and turning me into a bloody glob of semi recognizable flesh. Hanging from one of the outstreched arms of the umbrella is a lantern that blankets a 5 foot radius around my position; my sandbox. I sit poised in a five dollar beach chair that I purchased from one of the lovely shops behind me earlier today.  The frame is aluminum and the backing is made from some kind of plyable plastic.  It is the kind of chair that if left out in the sun for 10 minutes the plastic will discolor and crack.  Sadly, it is a disposable piece of beach furniture and you can see many of the same kinds of chairs abandoned up and down the shore.  

 

The seasons are changing and with that the temperature has dropped.  Less people frequent the beach at this time of year and instead stay closer to the comfort of the warm businesses behind me. I stay vigilant, eyes pealed and scanning for the lone creature who has chosen to brave natures warning. Tonight there has already been a few.  These brave souls have danced dangerously close to death without even knowing it.  I allow myslef to smirk as the thought passes through my mind.

“Death was close. They did not even notice it lurking as they passed by.”

 

A small light apears in the distance; waving back and forth.  My mind clears and the cold, calculating intensity rushes back in.  The motion is consistant and continues for several minutes as it begins to grow brighter. Aproacing from my right, much closer now is the first signs of someone out for an evening run. I lean forward in my chair and squint my eyes into the darkness.  I can see the light moving in a tight circular motion at waist height.  I have seen this many times before and it is no surprise to see it again.  A young woman in her early twenties runs in front of my umbrella holding an iPod in her right hand.  White head phone cables swing back and forth from the device and lead up to her ears. She is no doubt listening to some new CD from the latest pop diva or prepubesent boy who could pass as a girl. She passes by quickly and glances over breifly, smiling.

 

This young woman just like the rest looked directly at me and saw nothing.  I was not in the cover of darkness. I was not hiding in the shadows. I was in my sandbox waiting for someone to play with.  I watched as the young woman passed and kept a steady pace down the length of the beach until her light faded from view.  It is amazing what can be acomplished with the allusion of saftey and the presence of a smile.  As I sat in my $5 chair looking out at the woman running by I was cloacked in light.  Light was my camaflague and the prey was none the wiser.  I felt like I was hunting deer with the headlight of a car.  “Sit beneath a warm light and watch the prey flock towards you with a smile.  How wonderful!” I thought.   

 

Tonight was an experiement.  This was the first time I had tested the theory of hiding in light.  It goes against conventional predatory thinking but so far it had been working better than expected.  I huddled closer to the umbrella as the wind began to pick up and burried my feet into the sand.  The temperature continued to drop and fewer people could be seen congragating near the burger joint at the end of the shopping strip.  Honestly, who decides it is a good life choice to have a greasy burger and fries at 3AM? 

 

The night grew old as the moon fell into the water and the stars faded out.  As the hour that society deamed unfit for monsters approached I accepted the fact that no one would be visiting my sandbox.  This day did not have any darkness in the cards for me but that would change. That is nature, nature is still waiting.