Darkness

The sun has left Longyearbyen a few weeks ago now, and darkness is pulling its thick dark blanket over us a little more for each day that goes by. Winter is slowly creeping in through the crack in the front door, and the face numbing chill arrives ever more often, with more fervor than before. Soon there will be no destinction between day and night, it will all be as one, complete dark, and only the steady tick of the clock will let us know if we are supposed to be moving somewhere. Candles are burnt more often, sleep comes more frequent at uncertain times of the day and creative productivity rises with the notion that time is standing still in this constant state of dark. There is no need to hurry anywhere, time is no longer going, its coming. Music played loudly becomes the sign that a new day has arrived, getting softer through out the day. Headtorches become the new accessory along with reflective clothing. We are all a mix of reflections and light, bobbling along, huddled together, trying to minimize the effects of the constant wind that makes the cold seem even colder and cuts in to the bone. The paleness of the skin becomes ever more evident for each day passing, and the pictures taken portrays us like ghosts. No function on the camera can take away natural paleness. Soon we will be as white as the mighty polar bear itself, and blend into the harsh white environment with only the darkness of our pupils giving a sign of life.
But the blanket of darkness is not all black. Stars fill the skies, the moon reflecting in the ocean and the snow seems to absorb the darkness ever so much. Northern lights play across the sky most nights. Light is in a different phase, it portrays itself in more diffuse and softer tones than the sun can muster and plays along with the darkness rather than cutting it short.
I will be under this thick blanket for the next four months, untouched by natural sunlight, enveloped in shades of white, gray, black and blue. The number of inhabitants is decreasing rapidly, the tourists gone, and while the thought of complete darkness is still a romantic one, time will tell if these thoughts are seen in the same light, come March. Will creativity persevere or will I be overwhelmed in darkness of both mind and soul?