Darkness. We all have already met it many times. We were afraid of it as children and many of us are afraid of it even in their adulthood. During ages, people invented many means of defence against darkness. Nevertheless, non of them has become the general one, the ultimate one. It looks like that even small fireflies can cope with darkness much more effectively. They simply switch on their tails...
When I went out that evening, the light was everywhere. The lamps shone, cars were running around with their headlights on, the shopwindows were shining and above all the Vysehrad castle was cloaked in light. Although I wasn't in a mood to meet people that time, I was grateful for all that light and rush around. It helped me to think. I was strolling on the embankment of the river Vltava and I didn't intend to go down and closer to the river. That would interrupt my connection with all that bustle and light around.
I was deep in my thoughts and blind with the lights when, only by chance, I looked down to the river side into the darkness, cold and dampness.
An alone huddled man was sitting there, far away from all that illuminated world. I was attracted by the way he was sitting. Not as people usually do, facing the river, but looking somewhere up the stream, the river on his right. I made few more steps thinking of what he was doing there, when my ears caught one very dim chord. Was it C? And another one. G7? The man was hunched over his guitar and was playing songs just for himself and the silent river running past him.
He sat on a place where silent and thoughtful fishermen were sitting during the day, showing their backs to the world. For them the whole universe is in their float swaying on the river surface. Similarly to them, the night guitar player was sitting on a folding stool. The only difference was that he was holding a guitar instead of a fishing rod and in place of a fishing-line with a hook at the end, tones of an unknown melody flew in the air all around. I was like a fish spotting a bait near the surface drawn towards the night player. I had to go closer.
Approaching an unknown man who is sitting far away from all the lights and people, a man who is playing songs which no one can hear is very weird. I was little embarrassed to disturb him and I wasn't sure whether he would accept me or not. What if he'll stop playing? What if he'll wait until I leave?
When I got nearer, our gazes met for a moment. He must have seen qualm in my eyes. Still he continued playing. After a while his eyes smiled at me and pointed to a place close to him. Still a bit nervously and uncertainly I sat there with my legs dangling above the dark water.
The guy was really huddling on his stool, knees together, as if he was cold. Even his song sounded like it was cold. No wonder. A cold wind was blowing all around and was interlacing with the melody adding icy sounds to it. It sounded like if a man chatters his teeth. I started to listen to that unusual chattering melody.
I began to hum silently in the rhythm of the song. And since my teeth were clicking too, my humming and his strumming went nicely together. I didn't need to turn to feel his eyes glittering with agreement. Song livened up and even the wind stopped blowing for a while. My humming became more courageous and the guitar responded to that change naturally. I was feeling very comfortably and I believed he was feeling the same.
At that moment my "tail" switched on.
My way home was much more pleasant than when I had gone out that night. I needed neither the street lamps nor the headlights of the car passing. I felt light coming from deep inside of myself, chasing darkness away and illuminating not only my surrounding but my mind as well.
I wish the fireflies could switch on their tails mutually. They would feel much happier.