The Shakers

This particular incident happened to me when I was about 10 years old. Till now I wonder that what was it?

We have a two storey house in which My Father, Mother, Brother, and myself used to sleep upstairs.

It was just the night before Diwali (festival of lights and crackers celebrated in India). My maternal cousins came to visit us. All of them were busy decorating the house and me being the smallest had particularly nothing to do.

It was almost 10:30pm and I was feeling sleepy. My Mother told me to go upstairs and sleep as my Father was already upstairs doing some of his office work. I went upstairs and got into my bed. My Father was in his room engrossed in doing his work. There was a room in between my Father's room and my room. After about 15 minutes my Father went to the bathroom and soon after there was a power cut.

I was trying to get some sleep when suddenly I felt a jolt on my bed. I immediately woke up confused. Nothing happened for two minutes so I went back to sleep. Again there was a second jolt and I woke up. I was sitting on my bed and thinking what was happening when slowly the bed started shaking. Our rooms were plunged into darkness and I was unable to see anything. The shaking of my bed gradually increased and I was literally crying not knowing what to do. I called out to my Dad in a feeble voice which he didn't hear as he was in the bathroom. I was crying continuously and didn't have the guts of looking under the bed or getting out of the bed and running downstairs to my Mother. The shaking was continuing with its full intensity. It went on for almost twenty minutes.

Just then the lights came and I jumped out of my bed without looking behind and ran downstairs to my Mother. My Father tried to stop me but all I wanted was my Mother's lap at that point of time. Looking at my face my Father also came downstairs. Everyone enquired that why I was sobbing?. I told them everything. Everyone was concerned as I was sobbing and crying from past half an hour. My Mother calmed me down and I slept with my aunt downstairs that night.

Next day My Father went to a Church and told the whole incident to a priest, on which he told that as it was a no moon night, a passing spirit had gained strength and finding a child alone had tried to scare.

My Father brought a big framed Picture of Lord Hanuman and hung it on the wall right above my bed. After that nothing of that sort happened but the incident left a deep impact on my mind as I was child, and did not understand whatever my Father told us about the incident. Now after so many years sometimes I think what would have happened if I would have got up from the bed or looked under the bed...