The scariest things I've ever encountered...

I love scary things. Scary movies are always at the top of my list and the scarier the better. I am most scared by those that are either so creepily real - as in strangers coming to the door to terrorize you - or those that are riddled with unexplained psychic phenomena - ghosts, demons, devils and what not. Slasher movies I can take or leave. Some of them have good pop up scare moments but overall they do not scare me. I find most of them numbingly stupid. Creating a scary movie that has the right balance of good scares, good acting and a good story line is difficult.

In real life, I admit I get anxious over some things that others might find scary. Really bad weather, for instance. When there is an imminent danger of severe weather, high winds and possible tornadoes, I get a little wiggy. But that's not really scary, just anxiety provoking. However, there have been two occasions in my life where I can say I was honestly and sincerely frightened and both times, while likely easily explained, appeared to be happening because of unexplained phenomenon.

The first incident happened when I was living at home with my mother. I had returned from living in Chicago and for a short time I lived at home again until I could get a job and save some money to move out into my own place. My room was downstairs, adjacent to my Mom's kitchen and quite isolated from the rest of the house - the living room and other bedrooms - upstairs. I had a little dog named Dudley at the time and he would always sleep with me in my bed at night. Some nights, if I was lying on my side, Dudley would choose to curl up in the crook my bent knee at my backside. One night I was awakened when I felt some pressure at my bent knees as if Dudley was pushing against them. I moved my knees back in irritation and told him to move. I continued to feel the pressure and then realized I was also hearing something in my room. The sound was faint but sounded like a thousand whispering voices. They whispers were so low I couldn't understand what they were saying but they started to get a little louder each time the pushing on my knees became more intense. Finally, the pressure on my knees was very hard. Much harder than my little dog could ever have done and the whispers were louder and faster and sounded menacing. With one great push I shouted, "Get off me!" still thinking it was Dudley. Suddenly I saw that Dudley was lying next to me, in front, with his head on my pillow. He was behind me at all. I sat bolt upright. If he was in front of me, who was pushing my legs so strongly. Immediately, the whispers stopped. I did not hesitate but leaped from my bed and scrambled upstairs to my Mom's room! I wasn't a child when this happened, I was in my late 20s but that incident freaked me out!

The second incident happened when I had moved into my current apartment. I was sleeping soundly or so I thought. I suddenly felt like there was something watching me - something physically present in my room with me and whatever it was was watching me. I opened my eyes and saw a little man standing right next to my bed, his face at my eye level. I could barely breathe! He just stood there looking at me, cocking his head from side to side as if I was some kind of curiosity. Then he reached out and tried to touch my face. I jumped up in my bed and he was gone! Again, totally freaked out! I had no idea what or who that was or if it was real or not but it sure felt real at the time.

Years later, I was reading a science article on sleeping and what keeps people from getting a good nights sleep. There was a section on "Sleep paralysis". It is a moment you get caught in somewhere between deep sleep and wakefulness where your body is actually still unable to move. People who experience this often report feeling as though someone or something is holding them down and they also report seeing and hearing strange phenomenon in their bedrooms. There are reports of people seeing children playing in their rooms and having conversations with them. One report I read was of a man who was paralyzed as he watched a strange man walk through his room picking up objects and looking at them. The man walked out of the room before the sleeper could fully awake and his recollection was so "real" he actually reported a burglary to the police. Of course, nothing was found because there was nothing really there to begin with. I know, from having read the article, that what I experienced was more than likely sleep paralysis. But I also know that the experience was so real to me that both incidents scared me thoroughly! My mind created two very real phenomenon for me and both times I did not want to go back into my bedroom! Now that's scary!!