
Dark by Don McDonald — The Last Witness Watches the Final Light Go Out
From LitReading - Classic Short Stories and Timeless Tales by Short Storyverses
June 9, 2026 · 26 min
About this episode
Don McDonald presents an original short story exploring the themes of the universe's expansion and the finality of existence.
An original story, written and read by me, Don McDonald. This one began with something I read and couldn't shake. The universe is expanding, and it won't stop, and the stars are spending the only fuel there is. The brightest burn out first. The small, dim, patient ones hold on the longest, for trillions of years, until at last the final star flickers out and the dark that follows has no end and no dawn. I found I couldn't stop thinking about that last light, and about who might be there to watch it die. Less the physics of the thing than the ache underneath it, one witness at the end of everything, keeping a watch that has finally run out of anything to keep. That became Dark . If you enjoyed this story, buy me an e-book! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/donmcdonald or click FOLLOW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Don McDonald
Topics covered
- original short story
- universe
- stars
- darkness
- existence
- witness
Keywords
- original story
- dark
- universe
- stars
- existence
- witness
- light
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