As a child I would walk on a country dirt road to visit relatives, getting there was ok, because it was daylight; however I would often stay later than I had intended and would have to walk home alone in the dark with no flashlight. They used to tell me not to worry, if someone snatched me at night once they saw what I looked like in the daylight they would bring me back! I remember this being said by many different ones to my cousins as well, so it must have been something common.