Fear illuminates value
In moments of delight

Laying there paralyzed with terror
She allows herself to be embraced
By the gentle arms of the memories

They whisk her away a better time
More prosperous and joyful
When the sun beamed down upon her skin
Like the soft kiss of her nearly-forgotten loved ones
Warming her from the inside, out

They take her to a time of laughter
Of family and friends that used to be
Where the grass was greener
And the water was clearer
Pure paradise

She blinks and the dream shatters
Like broken glass
The pieces fall away as reality breaks through
She sees the slithering monsters still upon her
Moving closer in the black
She reaches for the lamp

The light, bright and triumphant,
Shouts its presence to the world
Illuminating what is dark
And smothering what is evil

She is left alone with the light and with her memories
In her moments of delight