On a Dark Night....

Staring into the darkness when the lights were out was something of a regular occurrence for me. Not by choice, but compulsion.

Yet making different animals by the fingers on the wall was more out of habit over the years, than any compulsion or choice.

That particular night, when the lights were gone, the only sound was that of the grandfather clock ticking away. The candle lighting the room, and there was my hand making different shapes of animals on the wall.

With a start, I realised that there was another hand that was also making movements on the wall. I first thought it was my brother, and angrily shouted out his name. But, no one was there in the room, except for me!

I got up with a start.

I re-started making the animal shapes on the wall, and this time there was just my hand. Perhaps it was just a figment of my imagination.

I have never believed in ghosts or the supernatural, nor was I going to start now.

Yet, being alone in the dark room did give me that eerie feeling and I was not too happy about it. Though, being the brave girl that I was, I decided to stay where I was till the electricity returned. I started singing out aloud some happy songs that I love.

Suddenly heard an eerie shriek from my bedroom, making me jump and sit upright and alert like never before. I started praying and was hoping the lights return soon. Darkness is scary and shrieks in the darkness can be really eerie!!

All of a sudden, my hand touched something wet, warm and alive! I jumped and ran to the door, nearly colliding with my brother! We both fell down and somebody jumped on us going crazy. That’s when I realised it was our pet Mickey. And it was his tongue that I had felt while sitting on the sofa!

Just then, the lights came back flooding the room with light and I was relieved. I hugged my brother and Mickey in relief.

That was one incident that I always remember when the lights go off on any particular day!