The Summer I Didn't Sleep

I can't recall how old I was when these events took place, but judging by what bedroom of our house I was sleeping in at that point, I must have been somewhere between 9 and 12. I have wanted to share this story for quite some time but the truth is that I haven't been able to build up the courage to really recall the memories. It still petrifies me to this day.

It all started on a summer night when I was laying in my bed reading, just like any other night. I was somewhere in the middle of one of the Sweet Valley High novels when I suddenly felt my bed start shaking. A deep feeling of dread came over me and I was more scared than I had ever been before (just thinking back at this gives me goosebumps). It didn't feel like someone was tugging the end or the side of the bed or anything like that, it was the full mattress that started shaking. I was terrified to the point where a shiver went down my spine and I started cold sweating, in that moment I remember how I realized that these was not just things you say as a generic expression to describe fear, but that it was actually possible to feel those sensations. After a while of being frozen in fear and contemplating what to do I eventually jumped out of the bed and tried to think of what to do next. I turned on all lamps (even though it was summer and not even very dark outside) and just stared at the bed for a while, it didn't move anymore and I couldn't think of any reason of why it would move in the first place. Trying to master my fear I laid back down again but the shaking started up again after just a few seconds. This had me quietly sneaking in to one of my sisters' room and spending the night with her.

I'm not sure for how long this went on, I just remember being constantly sleepy and lacking energy. I did everything and anything to delay the moment that I had to go to bed. One time I convinced my stepfather to stay out on the lake with me, fishing until around 2am. He thought I just loved fishing so much, I do, but I mostly dreaded the moment I would have to set foot in my bedroom again. Some nights I managed to sneak in to my sisters' room but doing so I always risked a beating from being up and making noise at night, so it wasn't always an option. Other nights I spent in a tent or in one of our many cabins as it was summer, and nothing would bother me except when I slept alone in my room. No one in my family believed me and they made fun of me for it each time I tried to bring it up. My oldest sister would laugh and scream "the exorcist" as soon as I mentioned anything about it (referring to the scene in the Exorcist movie where the bed is shaking).

Luckily my cousin came to visit and spent more than a week on a mattress on the floor of my bedroom and after she left I didn't removed it but used it for me to sleep on instead. This was a huge relief as even though I always felt a presence and like something was watching me, nothing was bothering me physically during this time. Eventually my mother got mad at me for keeping the mattress in my room for so long and made me put it away. At this point it was already autumn and I could no longer stay anywhere other than my room. So, my nightmare continued.

One night I sneaked over to my sisters' room again, (not the same sister that used to laugh at me) and crawled into her bed, even though she had gotten very tired of me coming over there at this point (especially as she also risked a beating from me coming there) when her bed started shaking too! Shocked and scared she told me that she had felt it, instead of being scared this time, I was so glad that someone finally believed me after going through this alone all summer.

A couple of weeks later I visited my grandmother and I told her everything that had happened, knowing that she was no stranger to the paranormal and would believe me. She advised me to put a Bible under my pillow before going to bed. No one on my mother's side of the family is religious so I couldn't find a Bible at home, but managed to find a small book with some psalms that I put under my pillow that night. I was so scared that it would only anger whatever was haunting me, but from that moment I was never bothered by this thing again. I am not sure why it started or why it stopped, I was just glad it was over. Did I just will it away with the book? What could it have been?

Just writing this made me see shadows and get all jumpy so it might not be the best story I've written, if anything is unclear then please feel free to ask questions.