The encounter took place on a night from Saturday to Sunday at the end of August 1997. I was 11 years old then.
Half asleep, I heard footsteps on the carpet below. I was awakened by someone climbing the rungs of the ladder at the head of my bed. *creak-creak-creak* Three loud steps. I kept my eyes closed, just annoyed at the nighttime disturbance. I wondered what my mother wanted from me in the middle of the night. She should let me sleep on, or quickly say what she wants. I waited for her action. But nothing happened. She neither spoke to me nor climbed down from my bed. I lay on my stomach, face to the side. Unable to see what was over my head.
After what felt like half a minute, I was tired of waiting. I looked up to address my mother.
The person in front of me wasn’t my mother. It was about 10 inches away from me and staring at me. I was scared to death on the spot. My survival instinct told me that if I pretended I wasn’t there, it would go away. I played dead like an animal. The instinct paralyzed my body. Despite the fear of death, my breathing became shallow and slow. So the breathing won’t be heard and my chest won’t move. At the same time, my heartbeat became very fast. I’ve never been so scared. Never before, never after. If I hadn’t experienced it myself that night, I wouldn’t know that this is possible with people.