Nyctophile

Have you ever stayed up till dawn sleepless yet with eyes filled with excitement as you twist and turn the pages of your favourite book?

Well if you do so, then I'm assuming you're a voracious reader like me.

Just like you, one night I stayed up late reading a book under the candlelight with the electricity going from the thunderstorm outside. I usually enjoy my company in the dark but that day I had a bit of fear in me because of the storm and the short circuit without my parents around. I was engrossed in my book when my attention broke as I heard a melancholy cry of an owl followed by a screeching noise of glass breaking...

In a soundless ambience, these hearings felt very remorseful and creepy to me. My fear increased as my mind filled with weird assumptions like "Is it a thief? ", and " Did someone else sneak in?, WHAT SHOULD I DO?! ". I felt relieved yet scared as I moved the candle near the door and spotted a big shadow of an owl. I was glad that it wasn't any person yet I was scared. I slowly prowled my way through the house in search of the owl and saw a big, hairy brown owl with large green eyes, sitting all drenched in the window pane of the hall.

The sight of the drenched and helpless owl melted my heart and I decided to provide food and shelter to it for the night. The owl sat with me through the darkness, silently giving me company. I felt easy around it as its periodic coos relieved me from my fear of being alone. The owl made me enjoy the darkness like I used to.

The next day it hurt a lot to free the owl away, as I really enjoyed its company but keeping a bird caged is equal to keeping an innocent person in prison.

The nocturnal bird easily became a friend to a Nyctophile like me. I set it free and realized that I let the bird go for good.