I missed Fajr prayer again. With that being the first thought that popped into my groggy mind upon coming to this morning, I was dread-stricken and disappointed in myself. My eyes hadn't adjusted to the caramel light filtering through the curtains, and everything was still blurry, but I could tell I had overshot prayer time by quite a bit. As I lay still, trying to focus my eyes on the ceiling, I realized I couldn't move, and that the feeling of dread was perhaps not due to a farz missed but due to a presence that was posing an immediate threat. I saw the outline of a woman with a towel or a scarf wrapped around her head, standing at the foot of my bed. I tried to squint in an attempt to see who it was, but obviously that didn't work. Another wave of dread washed over me as I realized that my door was locked and nobody could have gotten in. Within nanoseconds the woman "flew" closer, and stopped inches away from my face. I heard the deafening sound of wind charging at me with hurricane speed, and felt like everything around me was vibrating. I still couldn't see who was floating above me, but I could feel a million wisps of cotton squeezing me from all sides. Like a reflex action, I started reciting whatever verses from the Quran I could think of at that moment, and almost immediately everything became quiet. Only the ceiling, tinted with mellow light, lay above my face. Was that a dream? I thought to myself, stopping the verse recitation for a second. Almost like an answer to my question, the woman reappeared and the hurricane resumed. I closed my eyes and recited the verses one more time, this time completing them without taking a breath. When I opened my eyes this time, I really opened them. I blinked the room into focus and realized I had only just opened my eyes. Everything I had experienced before this had been a dream.... or had it? I still couldn't move, but it was due to fear. Dare I look around the room to see if anyone really had been there? I decided not to, because it was easier to ignore something I had not actually seen yet with wakeful eyes. I turned towards Yums, pulled the blanket over my head, and recited more verses until I fell asleep again.
This wasn't the first instance of sleep paralysis I've had. I've experienced this disturbing phenomenon once before, 6 years ago. I remember the first one involved me hearing a banging on the door and someone trying to violently open it, and a presence pressing down on my lungs. I remember being just as scared, and just as paralyzed. I also remember I had been exhausted the night before, just like this time around. Had I been a tad bit more superstitious I would've credited this to a supernatural experience. However, I've always been rational enough to consider physiological reasons behind these occurences. Sleep paralysis is fairly common, and happens to anyone who's on a cocktail of stress and lack of sleep! This is a sign for me to get more snooze time, but I hate sleeping during the day, and once Yums is asleep at night I can think of a million things I need to do. That said, I really don't want to experience sleep paralysis again anytime soon... physiological or not, its one hell of a freaky thing! I'd rather dream about rainbows and waterfalls. Okay, not really. If you're wondering what I do dream about at night, it's what my next cake/cupcakes will look like................... teehee!!! One minute detail about last night, or er, this morning's dream keeps tugging at my brain though. Every time I've dreamt of ghosts or evil presences in the past, and recited Holy verses, it's never worked. Usually the ghouls just smile and come closer, and I make a concious effort to wake up before they cross that last stretch of distance. So how come today it worked almost like magic? Hmmmmm...... I really do need more sleep, don't I?
Have a good night, and don't let that old hag get to you! :p
This wasn't the first instance of sleep paralysis I've had. I've experienced this disturbing phenomenon once before, 6 years ago. I remember the first one involved me hearing a banging on the door and someone trying to violently open it, and a presence pressing down on my lungs. I remember being just as scared, and just as paralyzed. I also remember I had been exhausted the night before, just like this time around. Had I been a tad bit more superstitious I would've credited this to a supernatural experience. However, I've always been rational enough to consider physiological reasons behind these occurences. Sleep paralysis is fairly common, and happens to anyone who's on a cocktail of stress and lack of sleep! This is a sign for me to get more snooze time, but I hate sleeping during the day, and once Yums is asleep at night I can think of a million things I need to do. That said, I really don't want to experience sleep paralysis again anytime soon... physiological or not, its one hell of a freaky thing! I'd rather dream about rainbows and waterfalls. Okay, not really. If you're wondering what I do dream about at night, it's what my next cake/cupcakes will look like................... teehee!!! One minute detail about last night, or er, this morning's dream keeps tugging at my brain though. Every time I've dreamt of ghosts or evil presences in the past, and recited Holy verses, it's never worked. Usually the ghouls just smile and come closer, and I make a concious effort to wake up before they cross that last stretch of distance. So how come today it worked almost like magic? Hmmmmm...... I really do need more sleep, don't I?
Have a good night, and don't let that old hag get to you! :p
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