A walk through a park, an urban rooftop, a forest trail – all of these are one experience in broad daylight, and entirely another after nightfall. The river, Aare, in Switzerland transforms into another creature in the darkness.
Author: Vanessa Lowe
The Last Dream
When Sally lost her brother to suicide, a friend advised her to be open to the possibility that he would try to visit her from beyond. Despite her initial skepticism, what she experienced in the ensuing months changed her mind completely.
Can You Hear That?
What if, out of nowhere, you started hearing a low-frequency rumble, like a truck idling right outside your home, in the middle of the night, every night for weeks and months on end — and no one else could hear it?
Two Owls
To connect with an owl, even in a small way, is a rare gift. There is no animal more emblematic of the night. Elusive, mysterious and powerful: owls inspire both fear and awe.
Zebra
While graffiti is seen by some as blight, and by others as art, the act of hiding in the shadows and stealthily scrawling your name on a wall is ultimately about being seen, rather than doing damage. This was definitely the case for a boy who went by the tag, “Zebra” in Philadelphia back in 1975.
Filling in the Blanks
In this high tech world, you’re never without a camera, and can take a picture anywhere you go. But do these images convey the feelings of awe, excitement, wonder and fear you had while you were in those places? Adam Katseff discovered a way to do this by taking landscape photographs in the dark of night, revealing more by showing less.
Newt Brigade
If you look closely enough at this seemingly idyllic stretch of road, nestled between a lake and a steep hillside in Northern California, you’ll notice it’s not so idyllic — at least not for the newts and salamanders determined to cross to the other side.
Do the Thing
The black belt test at Studio Naga is a 48-hour ordeal with no sleep. By the second night, students are running on pure adrenaline when they arrive to an unknown location blindfolded in the dark. Then, it’s time to fight.
Speak San Pedro
The night is a perfect canvas for the ancient magic of Peruvian shamanism. In the darkness, your mind opens, allowing spirits to find a place to land
You Are a Candle
Candles were a lifeline until they became merely ornamental. So, how do the candles feel about this?
As a Weapon
Comfort turns to horror when the night becomes weaponized – used to terrorize and control. This is the most ominous embodiment of the night. Its most salient symbols are those of burning crosses, and the nightriders delivering their messages of terror.
I’m a Monster
Getting into character and scaring people silly is one of Campbell Harmon’s favorite things in life. But his relationship to being a monster goes deeper than playing one in a haunted attraction.
Like a Light Bulb
Kristin’s daughter was just 16 years old when she began to struggle with drug addiction – methamphetamine, heroin, and more. It brought Kristin to her knees. Of all the painful challenges, the worst was not knowing where her daughter was in the middle of the night.
In Magdalenian Footsteps
There is a cave in southern France that contains some of the world’s most deeply hidden secrets. To get there you must crawl on your belly through a long tomb-like passage, with your only light held between your teeth.
The Sound of Moonlight
There are over 3500 species of crickets and each has a different song. One man fills his apartment in Brooklyn with their music, and then takes them out in public to perform alongside them. And then he eats them.
Elk River Road
Zoe and Sarah were young, free explorers on a spontaneous summer road trip. As darkness began to fall, the map on Zoe’s phone directed them to a short cut that would speed up their drive and get them to a safe place to spend the night. But that’s not what happened.
The Dark Revolt
Ever since he was a child, Clark Strand has awoken in the middle of the night and gone out walking. One night a voice spoke directly in his ear, saying, “Don’t go out tonight. Remain calm and be very very still.” His life has never been the same.
Overnights (Bonus Episode)
What is it about the night, about what happens in the darkness, when most people are asleep? Vanessa and radio host, Rod Quinn muse about this and much more, on this week’s bonus episode. They also chat with callers from across Australia sharing their feelings and observations about the night, in an excerpt of Overnights from ABC Radio in Australia.
On The Air
There’s really nothing else like late night call in shows on the radio – other humans, in real time, just chatting. It can bring comfort and normalcy to the hours that can feel like anything but comforting or normal.
Big Life
Katie Nelson is a journalist based in Kenya, where she covers human rights and global health issues. Her work puts her in dangerous and challenging situations, far from home. But not that long ago, Katie could barely get out of bed.