It Ain't the Boogeyman

I went to bed yesterday past one, and was rudely awaken four hours later. That's pretty rare for me - to wake up in the middle of the night. Not even a full bladder can do that. Well, except for the couple of times when the intestines threatened to pull the plug to flush out some foul food I downed in the evening.

I tried to clear the groggy mind and listened intently, half-expecting the boogeyman to emerge from under the bed, going "Boo!",

Outside, the wind was howling. It sounded like waves hitting the shore, in a rhythmic oscillation.


Ah, so that was it. The wind.

I'm no scaredy cat. I watch horror films at night all by myself; with the lights off and taking cover under the blanket. But I swear the wind was more than creepy. In fact, it was as scary as the typhoon that hit Kanto last summer, if not, worse. Well, minus the heavy downpour, though.

From where I was lying, I could see the full moon shining, almost sinisterly as if it was responsible for summoning the terrible wind.

I prayed hard that the apartment will hold on tight enough; I didn't want to end up being blown to the land of Oz. And if I did, I just hoped that the witch's pair of silver shoes are big enough to fit my feet...

But more than anything else, I hoped that my laundry didn't fly away...

Damn! Laundry!

I forced myself to get up from the bed to bring in the laundry. It was then that I realized that the room's temperature was a few degrees distinctively lower than the cozy environment under the futon. It was worse when I opened the balcony door. The wind took the form of a beast that immediately pounced on me. I recoiled from the sheer cold, then once again picked up the courage and brought in the laundry I'd left outside in the morning to dry. Dumping everything on the mat, I made sure to lock the door behind me before retreating to my refuge under the thick blankets once more.

The time was 4.40am. Outside, the wind howled yet stronger.

I've gotta get more rest.