Fear of imagined danger vanishes with morning sunlight and rested sleep.

Evidence

Last night, however, I took it out, cleaned and oiled it, and laid it under my pillow, resolving to keep awake all night. I slept as soon as I lay down, and never woke till the bright morning sun shone through the roof, making me ridicule my own fears and abjure pistols for ever! — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 196

Categorization

• STORYSTEM: A lone woman sleeping under stars at 30 degrees of frost, pistol under her pillow, only to wake laughing at her own fear — a self-contained opening scene or short story about courage that turns out to be unnecessary.