So very dark» is a Norwegian children’s book written by me and illustrated by, Øyvind Torseter.
The book followes a little boy who is playing outside. He has promised his mom to come home before dark. He is enjoying himself so much and forgets his promise, until he suddenly he realizes that its already dark ourside. He starts running knowing that his mother will be worried if he is late. He has to climb the stairs to reach the 10th floor, because no children are allowed to take the lift/elevator alone.
He looks at the stairs and the lift and decides to take the lift. Despite all warnings. He is sure that no one will find out. Besides its just this once. He gets into the lift and presses the button 10, and the lift starts moving.
Suddenly the lift stops and everything goes dark. The light disappears.
He is stuck in the dark little box all by himself. He desperately pushes all the 10 buttons, but nothing happens. The only button left to push is the RED one. But he is scared to push it. The red button is only for grownups, and only to be pushed in case of emergency. His mum has told him many times to never push that button.
He sits down in the dark. He is scared and alone with all his thoughts and feelings. Something dark and frightening is growing inside him. His heart beats hard in his chest, he can't breathe, can't run or escape. He tries to scream, but nobody can hear him. He is stuck! He shrinks into the corner of the lift. There is no way out.
Scary thoughts grows out of his mind and into the room. He is terrified.
What if nobody will ever find him. What If??
Everything seems hopeless, but then suddenly something happens that lets a bit of light into the situation.
This is a story about fear. Not just the fear that is triggered in this particular situation, but the fear and clastrofobic feelings that all kinds of situations can bring out, both in grown ups and children.
In a lifetime every human being will experience fear in different ways and at different times.
Therefore it is important to understand, what can a child or a grownup can do to to take control and stop the uncontrolled chaos that lives inside all of us. In the case of this boy, he had to take matters in own hands and figure out how darkness can make light shine brighter.
Children often intuitivley use their imagination and start creating images of people, animals, angeles or fairies that will come to their rescue.
And through imagination they can manage to solve the fear, others might need help external help because they become paralysed with fear.