05/02/2023
What if I told you that you are never alone, even if you are the only person in the room? What if I told you that as you lay down to sleep, a spirit comes to check on you as you drift off to sleep? These spirits enjoy attaching themselves to single people and to those living alone. Therefore, they enjoy terrorizing them since no one can interfere with them.
My name is Laruba and this is my story. In the same way as most people, I also denied the reality of such occurrences. I was a single lady who was just enjoying her life alone until one day I lay down to sleep and had a terrifying dream.
The night was extremely dark with no source of light. I could hear the sound of an owl hooting. The atmosphere was cold and pale. I saw myself standing alone in the middle of the road. Out of nowhere, a being ran past me laughing hysterically like a hyena. I shivered in fear. The being ran past me again. I couldn't tell what kind of creature this was because it moved too fast.
I began to shiver in fear and my heartbeat was rising. I decided to run but the road seemed endless and everywhere I turned was just empty space. Seeing that running was futile, I decided to stop running. Suddenly I heard a cry. A little boy was sobbing gently and saying "please help me. Don't let the boogeyman take me away."
"Who is there?" I asked apprehensively. My voice echoed in the big empty space and my voice was swallowed up by it.
I turned in another direction and saw a hideous figure looming in front of me. Worms were coming out of his mouth and he stank of hell. His eyes were red and he also reeked of death. I knew it was the Boogeyman.
"I have come for you," he said.
"Aaah!" I screamed and fled for my life. As I ran, I noticed that my steps were becoming slower and eventually, I could not run again. The next thing I knew, I was paralyzed from head to toe.
The Boogeyman got closer to me. He laughed and laughed. "You're mine," he declared.
He picked me up and carried me away. Suddenly, a house appeared in the distance. From the distance, I could hear the screams from inside. Surely, those must have been his victims screaming.
"You're correct. These are people like you who are single or live alone. You're all mine even though you don't realize it yet. When you lie down to sleep, the Boogeyman always comes for you. Even now, when you're all alone in your room. The Boogeyman is waiting for you to fall asleep and drift away.
After he said that I woke up. The sound of my alarm saved me. It was so loud that it woke me up. I could not go back to sleep because I knew that if I did, the Boogeyman would come for me.
I stood up from the bed sweating profusely so I walked to the kitchen to drink water. Immediately I opened the kitchen door. In front of me, a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist. Behols, it was the Boogeyman.
"I'm home," he announced.
To be continued when you fall asleep.
© Oladunni OLakunle
