(This was a prep exam back in school. I can see how I can make it better now, but I left it from when I had written it so many years ago.)

I hated being afraid of the dark, I'm embarrassed when I look back on some of the things I did because of this.

For example, having a dim light in my room on all night, so that I could sleep, or not being able to go to the toilet without turning on all the lights on the way there.

Yes, it is embarrassing, even going up to the age of twenty of being afraid. It was a very strange lesson, for some reason I had always liked the sea, but I stayed away from it, especially when I found out it gets dark down there also, I hardly went swimming, yet alone put my head under water.

My best friend knew about me and my problem with 'the dark', the words even sounded scary back then, so he took me down under with his crew.

It took a lot of convincing, I was told, but he saw me calm down a bit when he said, 'there's a light in the sub'.

I was still scared, 'but, how dark would it still be though, there are lights that don't light up much...' I was saying until interrupted.

'...It is strong mate, you shouldn't look at it really, it hurts your eyes, it is like a little sun.'

I breathed a little breath, I sighed a little sigh and started the beginning of overcoming my fear, 'You better be right!'

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I was going alright, until they turned the 'little sun' right down.

I didn't say anything, because I thought I would embarrass myself, and they would only tease me, even my own best friend would. So, I started fidgeting, my eyes looked for the brightest part around and stayed there, while my mind thought about day time, all the way up there.

Just about when I was ready to burst, or say something, my eyes caught light in the water.

It was strange, for I didn't even realize the 'little sun' had been turned off. I was mesmerized by this light, it was so beautiful!

I could remember someone coming up to me and saying what they were and everything, but I was taken aback.

Questions ran through my head, 'Why do they live down here when it's lighter up there?'

The voice talking to me answered that question almost immediately, 'These little creatures can only survive in the depths of the sea, they feed on the animals that like deeper ocean, other animals don't seem to have what they want'.

They looked really good, they had this technique and pattern that had got to me, and then there were the fish that I could see near the glowing creatures, they somehow intrigued me, and I just stared.

I was suddenly bumped into reality, and that was when I found out the 'little sun' was off. For once, I wasn't scared, but I was confused, I didn't know what to do or think!

I looked out at those creatures again, and before I knew it, we were travelling to the surface, I didn't know where it was though because it had turned into night time.

I climbed out, helped with packing up, said goodbye to the crew and thanked them, and started walking home by myself, surprising myself that I was also in the dark, and that I wasn't scared.

Walking home now, I think about those glowing creatures all the way at the bottom of the sea.

Survival, I thought, I have to survive with the dark, or I wouldn't be getting home right now, I would be following my best friend around till he would do something about it, which would be harder and longer. It was then that I found out that I had been a wimp for so many years.

Walking home, I think about the future as well, I think that when I get a chance, I'm going to tell my best friend what he did for me and thank him, and I think about starting to go deep sea diving or something...I have been longing to do that for some time now.