Sleepless Night

The moon glowed orange as I was reading my book whilst laying in bed. As if this was not peculiar enough, a little bit later on I seemed to notice a faint green hue around it as well. After reading several more chapters I decided it might be good if I got some sleep, getting up at 6am seems to be hard with only an hour or two of sleep. Either way, I assured myself I would get some sleep on the train regardless.

A strange night lay ahead, as the moon shone in through the window. Awaking several times and checking to make sure that the moon actually had this peculiar glow around it. Each time I noticed the moon was slowly descending, and eventually finally settled below the horizon. I thought this somewhat odd, the moon had been out during the day however, and even though it was not full - it had only been a full moon but a week ago - it shone as though it had been.

I awoke around 2 am after hearing some noises outside my room, I decided it was the cat playing around with some of her toys in the hallway. A strange feeling grew over me however, as if there were someone else in the room, since I'm not much of a believer in things I cannot see, I simply shrugged it off and tried to go back to sleep. Several moments later, I seemed to have "felt" a presence even more so, as if it were moving toward me. Again shrugging it off seemed a nice idea as I was rather tired and sleepy at this stage.

The events that followed, I cannot describe to its full accuracy as it seemingly lasted forever, but in actuality was no more than a few moments. The presence seemed to have lept on to the bed, holding me down. This appeared to be its sole motive, to keep me pinned down, but for what reason? I tried to wriggle and break free with my hands in front of my chest in an to attempt to push it off me.

For but a moment, I succeeded, I was free! Looking around the room to see who or what was in there with me proved futile, there was nothing in particular that I could make out. Then it came again, this time with a greater force, one from which I could not escape.

There was a struggle of power, the feeling of being held down like this did not appeal to me at all. In my sleepy state I was trying to exert enough force to shake this thing from me, to escape its restraint which did not appear to have a reason. Managing to break free an arm, I attempted to turn on the light that stood on my bedside table, just a few more inches... Then a force began pulling my arm back to my body, stopping me from turning the light on. I twisted and turned my arm for it to break free again. Success! Lets reach for the light again, just a few more inches... Again! This force pulling my arm back toward my body, No! This cannot be, I cannot see this foe, what is happening?

Growing tired of being restrained, I realized I was not the only one in the house, perhaps my housemates could help. Perhaps I could throw something at the wall. I managed to break free my left arm and pick up a small object from my bedside table, it felt like a cigarette lighter. I thrust my arm forward, the lighter did not even make it halfway across the room. This seemed somewhat odd, as it did not feel like I was being stopped from throwing.

I picked up another object from the small bedside table, my phone, at least this would make a loud noise when it hit the wall! Again I went through the motions of throwing, this time however at the part where I was expecting myself to release my grip, my middle finger seemed to stick in its position clutched around the phone. I tried again, the phone seemed to stick to my hand. I turned the phone around so my fingers and thumb were on the sides and my index finger on the bottom. I thrust the phone forward toward the wall. Finally it flew out of my hands. Then something unexpected happened. The phone seemed to slow down just before it hit the wall, then proceeded and made a very light thud and dropped to the floor. Damn!

Ah, why didn't I think of this before. Instead of throwing small objects at the wall, why not use my voice! I yelled out to my housemates. But a silence filled the air. It was as if all the air I managed to exhale for words was thrust back at me, soundless. This did not seem right, when I exhale air out of my lungs through my vocal cords, there should be sound! I tried again, and again. I screamed for help, what should have come out with a roaring sound, a loud cry for help, barely seemed to make but a whisper. It was all I could do to keep myself from panicking.

I tried to twist myself out from underneath my sheets, managing to break free a leg and shifting my balance I actually managed to lift up my upper body from the bed. Only to be slammed back down again. I gave up, I had exerted my escape options for the time being.

With a voice that was filled with defeat and perhaps a little curiousness, I asked "Fine! What do you want from me?". It seemed stunned, its grip on me seemed to relax a bit, still keeping me pinned down, not as firmly however. Even though I could not see what was holding me down, no body, no face, nothing..., I seemed to get the feeling I had somehow baffled it with my question, as if it had never been asked anything of the sort. I thrust my arms up, rolled and broke free!

First stop! Open door, switch light on, turn to see. Nothing! Surely there had to be something in my room. What had kept me pinned down? Something completely surreal came over me, as if a monstrous being was in my room, I was now standing in the hallway grabbing for the door behind me. The door to my housemates room. Ah the door handle! I turned and fell backward, scrambling back until I hit the bedside table in their room. I reached up, calling his name and tugging on his bedsheets, finally he awoke. I managed to blurt out, "There's something in the house!", and pointed toward the bathroom as that was where I seemed to have caught a faint shadow moving to.

He jumped out of bed and started toward the bathroom, I managed to stand up and slowly moved toward the hallway, from there I seemed to catch a glimpse of two legs, but they were not legs they were shadows. This thing that had pinned me down was made of shadow? What was this?

The most peculiar thing about these shadowy legs was they seemed not human, I got the notion they were animal, like a large dog, or a wolf perhaps. Maybe I've read too many ghost stories. My housemate went into the bathroom, and after a few seconds - a seeming eternity - came out and with a hint of annoyance in his voice clearly stated there was nothing in there. I moved toward the bathroom myself, keeping my eyes low, I'm not sure why. As I got closer from the corner my eye there was a movement. Some strange babbeling escaped my mouth, I was sure that it was making sense in my head, but what came out of my mouth was a seeming string of random sounds. I pointed once more into the bathroom where there stood a shadowy figure of nondescript shape, it stood tall and appeared to shimmer.

I scrambled backward and fell over again, I did not stop making myself move backward until I was in the corner of the room where I had previously gone to get help. Looking back to the bathroom, the shadowy being seemed to have disappeared as fast as it had appeared, this time there was a feeling of finality however. It was gone.

Whilst still uttering nonsense and in a somewhat fearful and panicked state I awoke.

This had all been a dream? Slowly reality crept back onto me, I was still laying in my bed, feeling like I'd only just been released from the grip of this thing. Covered in cold sweat and feeling just a little shaken. I sat up and turned my light on.

Nothing stood out in my room, the two bedside tables on the left side my bed were there, the clothes rack where most of my shirts hung was unmoved. The door to my room, closed. Had this really been a dream? It had felt so real, beyond a doubt my mind believed it was.

After several moments I decided that a cup of tea and a cigarette might make me feel a bit better. A few minutes later I was sitting in my lounge room on an old wooden chair drinking tea and smoking a cigarette in an attempt to calm my nerves. I started to wonder what this had all meant and then I realized something. This was the first time in a very long while that I had truly felt an emotion so strong. I'm not sure if, but perhaps the emotion in question was fear. This I have not felt in a long time. Why now? Why like this? So many questions came to mind. All unanswered.

For some inexplicable reason I felt like sharing this story. You're reading it now. So now that the time is nearing 4am I am beginning to long for some sleep. I hope that sometime in the next few hours I'll get some.

I fear not pain, I fear not death. What do I fear? ... Something.