Author's notes – And here we have the very final part of the tale. I always wanted to write a big story and end it with a distant epilogue, and I thought, I don't write massive epics like Nyctophobia that often, so this was my best chance. Thank you to everyone for leaving kind reviews. You guys rock. I hope you enjoyed the story, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Before I go any further, I want to wish you all a happy Power Rangers day! As we know, August 28 is an auspicious day indeed, because Power Rangers premiered on the 28th of August, 30 years ago in 1993. When I started posting chapters of Nyctophobia back in February, I honestly hadn't planned that I'd be posting the very last chapter of the story today ... it was just one of those lovely little things that worked out.

I want to quickly thank the SCP archives for inspiring a lot of this story. If you're drawn to cosmic horror, with stories that are unsettling and a little bit creepy, you'll enjoy checking out some of the fabulous mythos in the SCP archives. And if you were already a fan of the SCP Foundation, I'm sure you recognised a few story elements that I was paying tribute to.

Nyctophobia was a big story, but ultimately, a very personal one. Everyone gets scared. The Universe is a big place, with plenty of scary things in it. But try and keep good people by your side. Nothing's as bad as it seems.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe.

"I wish I could show you, when you are alone or in darkness, the Astonishing Light of your own being!"

– Persian poet Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafiz, 1320-1389.

"Nyctophobia"

Epilogue

Tomorrow

"So that's the story of the little stegosaurus," I said, wiping some dust off the toy and putting it back on my desk. I laughed to myself. There was even an outline of dust on the desktop, showing where the toy had sat for so long.

"You really kept it all this time?"

"Yep! One year the electronics stopped working. I was really crushed. But I think your uncle Billy found out, because a couple of days later, it was working fine. I don't remember it being this loud before."

"Wow."

"Anyway, that was the story of the Shadow King."

"And you really beat him?"

"We never heard from him again," I said.

"Was that one of those stories where you left out the really scary parts?"

"If your mother asks? That is exactly what I did."

She laughed at that, and I joined in. Listening to your kids laughing is a sound you never grow tired of hearing.

Just then, we heard a knock at the door to the study.

"Mummy! Mummy! Daddy was telling me the story of the Shadow King! But don't worry, he left out all the really scary parts."

"I thought your father and I agreed that every part of the Shadow King story was the scary part."

"She asked about the stegosaurus. What was I supposed to do?"

At least I got a grin. "It's for you," she said, holding up the cordless phone from the living room. "It's Jason, wondering what to bring to the barbecue."

"Cool," I said, and glanced to my daughter. "Give me a few minutes, and we'll start on the next story," and I dashed from the room.

Some time passed.

"Mummy? He's going to be longer than a few minutes, isn't he?"

"It's very likely. We live across the street from your uncle Jason, and we'll spend the night together, assuming there's no bad guys to fight, but bless his heart. He'll spend an hour catching up over lunch."

"You know what Mummy? I like that you guys are still friends."

"I do too. Your aunt Kim said something once. Sometimes, things just last." She stood up and glanced to the shelf of journals above my desk, her gaze lingering on the orange stegosaurus toy. She smiled to herself. "If you got through the Shadow King story, where did your father get to?" She ran a finger along the spines of the journals, and stopped at a particularly thick volume. "Ah. I think that puts us at the Vulcan zords. That was right afterwards."

"It sounds exciting. Was it a scary one?"

"Oh, there were some scary parts. A few twists and turns," and she reached across and switched on the lamp. "But I think you'll love it. You already know who the heroes are." There was more laughter, and she continued. "You know, I really hope that as you get older, you'll have friends like we had, who stick with you no matter what." She paused, a wistful look in her eyes. "They were the best."

"I hope so too Mummy."

"Right, let's get this started. It was a cool June morning…"

The End.

Until next time!