Not too long ago, I was reading a story. A very masterfully written
and gripping story, by a very talented someone who just might read this
blog once in a while.
In
this story, I encountered the following line: "I screamed at the top of
my lungs. My neighbors' lights went on immediately afterward and I ran
back inside."
It
got me thinking. This is a classic scene in lots of books, movies, TV
shows, and other works of fiction. Loud noise from somewhere outside a
residential area, followed by lights turning on everywhere (assuming the
action occurs at night). But does it happen in real life?
Let's
set up the scenario. You're resting in bed in your house (if you don't
live in a house, you'll have to use your imagination). It's a little
after bedtime, but you're not really asleep yet. You're just settling in
when you hear loud banging and yelling coming from the direction of the
neighbors. What do you do?
I
know what I would do. I would crawl out of my bed, creep to the window
(or door or whatever portal was required to give me a line of sight into
my neighbor's territory) and try to see what was going on without being
observed myself. If the disturbance was coming from a place I couldn't
see, I'd put my ear to the wall or floor and be quiet, hoping I could
hear some information. That would be my first instinct, which I would
act on without engaging in very much thought.
This
is not what happens in stories, and movies, and TV shows, and pretty
much any work of fiction I've ever encountered. In these kinds of
made-up scenarios, the first thing that happens when someone creates a
ruckus at night, is the neighbors all start turning on their lights.
Is
this really what people do when their environment is disturbed? Light
up giant glowing beacons and make huge targets of themselves?
I'm
not saying, of course, that every neighborhood disturbance is a
dangerous situation that requires stealth and self-protection
strategies, but I am saying that anyone with a lick of sense would
probably want to exercise a bit of discretion and not immediately reveal
their position (or their nosiness) before even knowing what was going
on.
What do you think, friends
and readers? Am I the odd one out here, or is this just a classic case
of "Everyone in the world of fiction has to be stupid, or how else would
we have horror films?"
2 comments:
Never would I turn on lights in the house at the sound of a disturbance outside. If something dangerous happens to be going on out there, why would I light up the night and metaphorically scream, "Here I am!"
I have had that happen, and I did not turn on the lights, but did what you suggested. I wonder though, if people turn on lights (if that happens) because they think it might scare away whoever is making the noise. It could be like a warning that someone else is aware (or many people are) and that someone might call the law. Just a thought, but I would be the one peeking out the window from a dark room.