Was this for real?

         It was bedtime. Summer raged outside our window and the air-conditioner was running full force to keep the heat out. My sister was asleep in the twin bed across from me. I laid and toss for a while. Finally sleep heavied my eyes and I turned onto my side and closed them. It was then I heard a voice in my head.

"Little girl, pay attention, look at me." I turned onto my back and looked down at the end of the bed. There sat a tiny little man. I laughed at myself. Sue, what an imagination you have. I turned over to go back to sleep.

Again I heard, "Little girl, you must look at me now. I want to talk to you."

I raise my head and looked back down at the little man. He sat on the end of my bed, on the footboard. All one inch of him. He was dressed in a white turban and a Dohti which stood out on his golen brown skin. Once again I scoffed and laughed at myself. What a trip. I laid my head back down.

"Little girl, do not laugh at me, or you'll be sorry."

Now what does that mean? I turned onto my back again and laid there thinking, I have read too many of the scary books my grandmother reads.

I could visibly see this little man was very annoyed at me.

"Little girl, you will not be able to move now. You should have listened to me."

Sure, I thought. I'll wake my sister up.. I started to move my arm, but I couldn't. Wait a minute. This is ridiculous. I tried to move my legs, but they wouldn't bend. I tried rolling my body on it's side, but it wouldn't roll. Sweat broke out on my forehead. This really isn't happening. It's only my imagination, or is it?

"What do you want?" I ask the little man.

But he no longer spoke to me. He sat and waited, and stared.

If only I could reach my sister. She is within inches away. Move your arm Sue, move it now! Fear grabs me, I can't make it move. The little man sits and stares with his coal black beady eyes. Fear has taken controll of me. Why didn't I listen to him? SISTER! Help me. Wake up. I need you. None of this came out of my mouth, it was only in my head.

And my sister slept.

By now I know I've been possessed by this little man and I'm terrified. I shouldn't have laughed or scoffed. I should have listened to him, looked at him to see what he wanted. Now, I will never know. Here I lay, in complete stillness, unable to move an inch. Someone please, help me. Time moved forward as the clock on the nightstand made a loud ticking noise.

Before I realized what was happening, the little man was gone.

Now what? Am I to be left this way? I laid there for hours, but it was probably only minutes. I decided to try and move my foot. I whispered, "Move foot."

Slowly oh so slowly, my foot began to move and I made a circle. By now I was thanking whatever stars or being for helping me out.

"Move leg." I whispered. Inch, by inch my leg shifted. It took a long time before I knew I could move my entire body. I was still frightened. What if he came back? What would I do then?

Another hour went by before I finally reached over to my sister. I touched her hand and felt the warmth of it. I didn't wake her because she would have laughed at me. I finally fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning, I remembered the little man and what he did to me. Then I asked myself, was it real? How do I know it wasn't? You could'nt move, that was for sure. It left me with wondering, will he come back and why did he come in the beginning?

Now, I am grown with daughters of my own, but the memory of that little man still haunts me today.


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