Over Active Imagination

Raj reminded me of something that happened the other night at 4:30 am and now I can't stop giggling about it. I woke up from having a nightmare that involved someone forcing me to be stripper, and a bridge in the middle of the jungle with lots of children on it scattering and running for their lives to jump into too few vans that were supposed to take them back to safety to Grand Central. I woke with the sense that I was in danger lingering in my mind. Raj woke up when I did, and then closed his eyes again.

I had to pee, as I usually do when I wake up in the middle of the night, so I made my way down the hall to the bathroom. When I left the bathroom, I was still spooked and I was looking around the room carefully just to make sure there was no one in the apartment other than Raj and I. On edge, I walked back through the darkness, looking at the room that was lit up only by the bits of moonlight seeping through the pale curtains.

When I got to our bedroom door - a door that has a large hanging mirror on it - I quickly pushed the door open with my left hand while still looking over my right shoulder at the room to make sure everything was still. Can you imagine the terror I felt when a pale shape the size of a crouched adult shot out from behind the sofa and dove behind the chair?

My heart in my throat, I darted into the bedroom and shut the door behind me, only to see the shape race out from behind the chair back behind the sofa. I leapt onto the bed and screamed bloody murder.

This is the best part, the part that keeps making me laugh. As I was mid-leap and mid-scream, it occurred to me that the pale shape whizzing across the room was connected to me opening and shutting the door with the mirror on it, and that what I had seen was not the crouched shape of an intruder, but the reflection of moonlight that I had made dance across the room. Of course, by the time I had that realization, I had already landed on the bed and let out a piercing scream. Raj, who had expected me to go to the bathroom and quietly get into bed, jumped up in bed reaching for me, yelling "SWEETIE!!!!" in this raw voice.

Instantly, I was telling him it was ok and trying to explain my foolishness. I peeked my head out and checked my theory and sure enough, I confirmed that the shape was nothing but shifting moonlight. That did not take away the shock I had given him.

I know I shouldn't laugh, but it's a natural reaction to laugh when you've been terrified and realized there was nothing to be alarmed about. It was also endearing how Raj leapt up in bed and how afraid he seemed on my behalf. Of particular significance is the fact that he yelled, "sweetie" and jumped towards me instead of just screaming for himself. This really shouldn't be making me laugh like this.

After it was all explained, and he we were breathing easier, I lay on his chest and tried to go back to sleep. Each time I thought about my terror and him sitting up in bed screaming "sweetie," I started to giggle. He let it go a few times, then said, "stop it" rather sternly, but not in a mean way.

He asked me to do my best to keep the night terrors to a minimum last night. As it was our anniversary, I did my best to oblige.