Sunsets - Shapeshifting Sunsets by Jennifer

We all recall the end of a typical animated movie - the protagonist returning to his relieved family after heroically defeating the villain. A heart warming reunion, foreground to the sunset in the the distance, symbolising a closure whether it be plot-wise or emotional. The sunset marks the end of the day's turmoils, of a retreat into the tranquil familial sphere from the perils which thrive on the energy of sunlight.

Yet at the same time we hear of the danger in the final rays of the sun as it makes its descent, the inevitable conjure of endless imagination - thieves, murderers hiding around the corner of every sombre alleyway. The smell of covert criminal activity springing to life with the death of sunlight, the taste of the awakening of the city's other facade which laid dormant in the daylight hours.

But what is the mystery behind the sunset? Why does a simple, daily phenomenon hold such ambiguity? Perhaps, as does human tendency, we have glorified the sunset and bestowed it with much greater significance than it constitutes. But who is to say that this bestowed significance has not shaped how we discern night and day?

Author's Note: 196 words. Sorry about the short post. I intended to address the many different meanings we take out of a sunset, and to pose questions about whether there was a 'correct' interpretation and whether such an interpretation would be time/spatially dependent. I'm not very satisfied with the ending, but can't exactly pinpoint what. Sleepy. Going to sleep. Good night.