Childhood Quote by John Burnside
“I remember a nightfall from childhood, far from home and off the known track: I'd been walking with some older boys, but they ran off and left me, and as darkness hurried in, I suddenly realised how far from home I was.”
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Nightfall” by John Burnside, 1998
A child feels lost and frightened when abandoned in darkness, realizing how far from safety they are.
In simple terms: Feeling lost in darkness.
Key Takeaway
Seek help or a familiar guide.
Themes
loneliness
fear
disorientation
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
narrative
emotional
When to use this quote
- night hikes
- travel alone
- first day at school
- emergency situations
Key Concepts
psychology
survival
attachment
Questions to Reflect On
- What would you do if you felt abandoned in darkness?
- How can you create a sense of safety when alone?
A Different Perspective
The feeling may be amplified by panic, making rational decisions harder.
![“If any of [my stories] succeed in causing their readers to feel pleasantly uncomfortable when walking along a solitary road at nightfall, or sitting over a dying fire in the small hours, my purpose in writing them will have been attained.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c84/anonymous-1_books_if-any-of-my-stories-succeed-in-causing_154451.jpg)
![“My father was one of those men who sit in a room and you can feel it: the simmer, the sense of some unpredictable force that might, at any moment, break loose, and do something terrible. [Burnside, p. 27]” quote by John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/672/john-burnside-8167_break_my-father-was-one-of-those-men-who-sit-i_167810.jpg)
