It seems I’m afraid of most everything, but I never felt real fear until the other night. I was brushing my teeth before bedtime when a blood-curdling scream shredded the silence. Every hair on my body, that was not glued down, stood at attention. I could even feel the hair on my legs rise up. It tickled, but I wasn’t laughing–my mother was having one of her nightmares, again.
She’d had them before, about once a month, but they still scare me. No sooner do I let my guard down than she emits a 99.9 decibel, roller-coaster scream, followed by some moaning and thrashing about in her bed.
The first time I heard it, I was dead asleep when 3 shrieks tore through my dreams. Wise to the fact that one should never leave one’s bed when monsters, ghosts and the assorted demons are about, I stayed in bed with my eyes closed wondering, what the f___ was that?
My first thought was, my mom had seen a ghost. This idea is not my fault. My middle sister, Alexie Aaron, has written many paranormal novels and she’s got our whole family scared of their own shadows.
Next, I dismissed a number of more logical possibilities including whether my 91 year old mother could even make a sound that loud. It was at least twice as loud as if you threw a bucket of water on her, (believe me, this happens–sometimes.) I concluded that she couldn’t be so loud on her own.
Haunted days passed after hearing those first screams. I kept seeing things out of the corners of my eyes, and my bedroom door would creak without opening. I hid the cleaver, in case my mommy, who was obviously possessed, was about to chop me up.
Then, I heard reference to foxes that scream 3 times during mating. Researchers haven’t determined why but I suspect they’re party animals, (the foxes, not the researchers–necessarily.)
That was the obvious solution to the mystery–until my little sister told me that Mom had done this before, while they were staying together in a motel room. She could not be awakened.
The weird thing is that Mother never remembers what her scary dreams are about. Nor does she recall ever being attacked, or in great danger. After the nightmare, she continues to sleep, and has no ill effects the next day. (Maybe she really is possessed?)
I’m the one suffering ill effects from her nightmares. I can’t get to sleep after hearing her screams because of the adrenaline coursing through my body–making my heart thump and hair stand on end. Not to mention, I keep seeing things that probably aren’t there.
I’ve come up with one plan to not only solve the mystery, but to make myself feel better. Can anyone spare a bucket of holy water?
Sandy Pants 