Night terrors: a tale of dreams, spirits, and sisterhood
Exploring the intersection of sleep paralysis, spiritual beliefs, and sibling support in overcoming nightmares
Hashiki opened her eyes. She seemed to have plunged up into consciousness as if to a surface, which she then broke through, searching the darkness. At first, the obscurity was implacable. She might be anywhere: all that was sure was her own self, lying on her back, her pungent smell, and her warmth. Hashiki bent her knees, placing her feet flat on the sheets in the cocoon of her plush blanket. But as she gazed into the darkness, conversant patterns began to loom through it: the pale outline of a window, printed by the street lamp against the curtains; the horizontals on the opposite wall, which were the shelves for her shoes and handbags. Beside the window, she could make out the rectangular vanity; the dim reflection from the mirror revealed the small book, bound in full purple calf, that lay half hidden in a nest of fine silk scarves on the dressing table. Hashiki could identify every product and item on the vanity top by heart, though she couldn’t see them in the dark. It was this awareness that gave her a slight relief, knowing she was no longer in the company of the terrifying creatures from her dreams. She was now in the comfort of her own room.