My ghostwriting jobs lead me to keep pretty odd hours. I find that the quiet calmness of the late night, after the rest of the world has gone to sleep, is the perfect time to get a little writing done.
One night when I was particularly backlogged, I ended up writing until about 5:00 AM. Mentally and physically exhausted, I climbed into bed for what I hoped would be a few good hours of rest. It turned out, though, to be anything but.
After what felt like a few minutes of dozing off, my eyes opened up wide. I was awake, but I couldn’t move. It was like something was pinning me to my bed. The only part of my body that I could move was my eyes, and I looked frantically around my room. In every shadowy corner of the room, there was a figure. The figures looked like pillars of dark, black smoke with glowing, red eyes. For some reason, just looking at them filled me with an immediate sense of terror unlike any I had ever experienced. One moved closer and closer until it reached the foot of my bed. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped.
Willing myself to move, I suddenly bolted upright and jumped out of the bed. I took off running out of the room, through the living room, and towards the front door. Before I could make it outside, I heard a clicking sound in my mind, and I found myself lying in my bed again. I had never actually moved, and the entire sprint had been a hallucination. Now the dark figures were gone, and after a couple more minutes I could move again.
I’ve since learned that what I experienced that night was sleep paralysis–a dreamlike state where your body is asleep but your mind is awake. It is known to cause vivid hallucinations, temporary paralysis, and what seems like out-of-body experiences.
I still keep pretty late hours ghostwriting, but not quite like before. Whatever state I was in that night, and regardless of whether it was a hallucination or real, I have no desire for a repeat visit!
About the author
Since John A was a child, writing has been his passion. Through years of exploring this passion, wielding the powers of the written word has become something that he has come to excel at. To date, he has published four science-fiction novels, works full-time as a professional copywriter, and has risen to be one of the most well-reviewed freelance writers across a variety of online platforms. Now, he hopes to continue use these skills to help others produce original, dynamic content that will enhance the quality and success of their own written material and give them a powerful advantage over their competition.
