2004-04-15
Bedtime Story
I am so tired! I didn't sleep well last night, and had to be up early this morning. And now I'm tired but not sleepy, and have to be up early again tomorrow.
I guess I started screaming in my sleep last night. Not the usual screams--the ones where I'm dreaming and it's as if I have no volume to my voice--they're more like yelling. This scream had the characteristic of exquisite anguish, at least as I recall. Wailing like a banshee comes to mind.
Arlina woke me up. I couldn't remember what was causing me to scream, but it disturbed me. I laid there for a while thinking about it--anything that would make me scream like that had to be bad. I eventually fell asleep imagining the worst possible scenarios. I'm surprised I didn't start screaming again.
Arlina worries that I'll start screaming one night and she won't be there to wake me. There is a filipino superstition--"Bangungot", or nightmare death syndrome. I guess every once in a while a filipino will start screaming in their sleep. If no one wakes them up, they die. The are generally found with a look of terror on their face, their hair turned completely white. When I awoke this morning, my hair had a big streak of grey! Ok, it's been there for a while.
One time when I was staying at Arlina's parent's house, her mom walked in to the room one morning and smacked me right in the middle of the forehead. Ouch!
Turns out she had a dream that I was drowning, and hit me to knock any residual water off my brain. At least that's what she told me.
Ok, now I feel sleepy. Good night!
I guess I started screaming in my sleep last night. Not the usual screams--the ones where I'm dreaming and it's as if I have no volume to my voice--they're more like yelling. This scream had the characteristic of exquisite anguish, at least as I recall. Wailing like a banshee comes to mind.
Arlina woke me up. I couldn't remember what was causing me to scream, but it disturbed me. I laid there for a while thinking about it--anything that would make me scream like that had to be bad. I eventually fell asleep imagining the worst possible scenarios. I'm surprised I didn't start screaming again.
Arlina worries that I'll start screaming one night and she won't be there to wake me. There is a filipino superstition--"Bangungot", or nightmare death syndrome. I guess every once in a while a filipino will start screaming in their sleep. If no one wakes them up, they die. The are generally found with a look of terror on their face, their hair turned completely white. When I awoke this morning, my hair had a big streak of grey! Ok, it's been there for a while.
One time when I was staying at Arlina's parent's house, her mom walked in to the room one morning and smacked me right in the middle of the forehead. Ouch!
Turns out she had a dream that I was drowning, and hit me to knock any residual water off my brain. At least that's what she told me.
Ok, now I feel sleepy. Good night!