Shadowy Figures
It was a normal, happy evening.
Nikki and I were in the kitchen talking; Nikki making her nightly chocolate milk, while I prepared strawberries for a surprise dessert, Aurora in her bed asleep.
Or so we thought.
While discussing the days events, we both heard the faint stirrings of a child having a nightmare. The whimpering cry punctuated by light moans, preceding the wail of waking alone and afraid.
I dropped what I was I doing and raced to her room, hoping to get there before the screams started. Instead I was surprised to find Aurora sitting upright in her bed, holding a flashlight pointed at the wall opposite her (which would be on my immediate left). She was jovial and chatting with somebody.
As I approached her, she declared, "look Daddy it's Uncle Sirius! Uncle Sirius! Black! I mean Uncle Michael! See!?"
Before I could collect her in my arms, she hopped up and ran to the far corner. I turned to chase her, wondering if she was imagining a man or a black dog, and saw for myself in the faint circle of light where the flashlight's beam was still aimed, the indistinct midsection of a shadowy figure standing in front of the cabinets. It appeared to be a man, postured with his left shoulder toward us, his face and legs obscured in darkness. The figure was somewhat transparent, more like a shadow and it seemed to be shuffling uncomfortably, as if trying to step backward and out of the light or perhaps because it didn't want me to see it.
I ducked down to catch my daughter and cried out, "oh, hello Michael," in an attempt to sound politely surprised rather than terrified, in spite of the fact that the figure looked nothing like her Uncle Michael (or her "Uncle Sirius") and did not fully strike me as human. I caught hold of Aurora's arm just before she reached the shadowy figure, and pulled her to me...
...and awoke suddenly as if two metal pans had been struck together over my head.
It was 4:44 AM.
The best that I can describe how I felt upon waking is to say that body was brassy, and tingly, as if it was on pins and needles, though not "asleep" (as in paresthesia). Over all I felt as though I had had too much sleep (though I had only been down for about 2 hours) and my ears were ringing. My eyes were still adjusting to waking imagery and everywhere I looked swam with muddy colours and half formed shapes.
Suffice to say, I could not sleep the remainder of the night and have decided to set this down in text to remember it.
The frightening thing is that I've caught her sitting upright, while sleeping, sometimes chatting and giggling, her eyes partially open.
Nikki and I were in the kitchen talking; Nikki making her nightly chocolate milk, while I prepared strawberries for a surprise dessert, Aurora in her bed asleep.
Or so we thought.
While discussing the days events, we both heard the faint stirrings of a child having a nightmare. The whimpering cry punctuated by light moans, preceding the wail of waking alone and afraid.
I dropped what I was I doing and raced to her room, hoping to get there before the screams started. Instead I was surprised to find Aurora sitting upright in her bed, holding a flashlight pointed at the wall opposite her (which would be on my immediate left). She was jovial and chatting with somebody.
As I approached her, she declared, "look Daddy it's Uncle Sirius! Uncle Sirius! Black! I mean Uncle Michael! See!?"
Before I could collect her in my arms, she hopped up and ran to the far corner. I turned to chase her, wondering if she was imagining a man or a black dog, and saw for myself in the faint circle of light where the flashlight's beam was still aimed, the indistinct midsection of a shadowy figure standing in front of the cabinets. It appeared to be a man, postured with his left shoulder toward us, his face and legs obscured in darkness. The figure was somewhat transparent, more like a shadow and it seemed to be shuffling uncomfortably, as if trying to step backward and out of the light or perhaps because it didn't want me to see it.
I ducked down to catch my daughter and cried out, "oh, hello Michael," in an attempt to sound politely surprised rather than terrified, in spite of the fact that the figure looked nothing like her Uncle Michael (or her "Uncle Sirius") and did not fully strike me as human. I caught hold of Aurora's arm just before she reached the shadowy figure, and pulled her to me...
...and awoke suddenly as if two metal pans had been struck together over my head.
It was 4:44 AM.
The best that I can describe how I felt upon waking is to say that body was brassy, and tingly, as if it was on pins and needles, though not "asleep" (as in paresthesia). Over all I felt as though I had had too much sleep (though I had only been down for about 2 hours) and my ears were ringing. My eyes were still adjusting to waking imagery and everywhere I looked swam with muddy colours and half formed shapes.
Suffice to say, I could not sleep the remainder of the night and have decided to set this down in text to remember it.
The frightening thing is that I've caught her sitting upright, while sleeping, sometimes chatting and giggling, her eyes partially open.