Terror by night

Sweetie has forgiven me. But it took Her a few minutes to do so.

Just as we were falling asleep last night, I saw a horrible banshee creature with a ruined face, standing beside Her, by our bed. My protective instinct was to grab Sweetie and tell Her that I would protect Her from this thing.

Of course, there was nothing actually there. It's a mental phenomenon, documented in normal people around the world, sometimes called "The Old Hag Syndrome." Your brain, just as you are falling asleep, for some unexplained reason, conjures up a vision of some horrible creature of fiendishly evil mien, bent on doing you harm.

Usually when I see this thing -- and it has been many months since it last happened -- it is on my side of the bed and so Sweetie's only involvement is to shake me awake and comfort me.

Being grabbed in the middle of the night, by surprise, is not a pleasant experience. So I lay there with my heart pounding against my ribs, and She resisted the urge to hit me with the alarm clock.