Turn off the lights

There is light leaking in through the venetian blinds on the window. It feels like pre-dawn. I fumble for my phone on the bedside table and check the time. 1.40am. It’s the middle of the night, but it’s so light. I close my eyes again but the light has stirred me awake now. I pull the blankets over my head but that’s too hot, even on this cool night. I lie in bed awake, my eyes open to the pale light. I long for darkness. I like black nights, when it is so dark that blinking makes no difference to the light entering my pupils. It takes bright nights like this, staying with friends in the city, to remind me how much I love the depth of darkness in my new country life.